May 17 - Last Day Of Session - Budget Targets Agreement & Adjournment
House DFL members on the left and Republican members on the right enter their caucus rooms after the House convened and then recessed to caucus about the last day of session business and agreements.
Gov. Tim Walz along with House and Senate leaders announced a bipartisan $52 billion 2022-23 biennial budget agreement on the last day of the 2021 legislative session. The agreement came together after the State received a $2.8 billion shot in the arm in federal COVID -19 relief aid and all three leaders got something from the agreement. The agreement on target numbers only will not settle any policy difference, those differences will have to be worked out by working groups now that the regular session has ended. A time table set out in the agreement has spending details worked out by May 28 and policy details by June 4. The three leaders must be in agreement on any policy and finance provisions on a final omnibus finance bill before any vote in the House and Senate. A special session is expected to be called by Gov. Walz for June 14 to extend his emergency powers and legislative leaders hope to pass any bills then. The ultimate deadline to get all of this work done will be by midnight June 30 or the State will shutdown on July 1.
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka along with House and Senate staff wait outside the governor’s cabinet room to start morning talks between Gov. Walz and Speaker Hortman on the budget target agreement they reached. The three leaders called a news conference for late morning to announce the budget target agreement.
Gov. Tim Walz, with budget agreement in hand, leads House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka to a news conference where Gov. Walz announced the three had reached an agreement on target numbers.
Gov. Tim Walz thanked Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, right, and House Speaker Melissa Hortman saying, “things get pushed to the wire”, but an agreement was reached in the end.
Gov. Tim Walz tells a news conference that the $2.8 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds made this agreement possible.
House Speaker Melissa Hortman (L to R) , Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, Senate Finance chair Julie Rosen, House Ways & Means chair Rena Moran and Lt Gov. Peggy Flanagan listen to comments from Gov. Tim Walz during a news conference announcing a budget target agreement.
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said “Promises made, promises kept,” for not raising taxes.
House Speaker Melissa Hortman called the investment in K-12 “historic” for public schools.
Minnesota Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter watches and listens as Gov. Walz answers a question about the budget targets during a news conference.
House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka leave the news conference where a budget target agreement was reached between the three leaders earlier on the last day of the 2021 legislative session.
Rep. Greg Davids, former chairman of the House Taxes Committee, tells a group of Capitol reporters that the House Minority Caucus got nothing out of the budget target agreement.
House Chief Clerk Patrick Duffy Murphy works long after the House adjourned doing the paperwork of the last day of the 2021 Legislative Session. The House will reconvene on January 31, 2022.
Sen. Scott Dibble is lit by a Senate Chamber skylight over the west gallery as he works at his desk on the last day of the 2021 Legislative Session. House and Senate members expected to work up to the constitutional mandated midnight deadline for adjournment but both chambers adjourned early and most members were home before dark.
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka answers a group of Capitol reporters questions before leaving the Capitol after the Senate adjourned late afternoon on the last day of the 2021 Legislative Session. The Senate will reconvene on January 31, 2022.
