Special Session Begins, Budget Bills Update, and more
Special Session Begins
This week, the Legislature was called into special session to complete state budget work and for Gov. Walz to extend the peacetime emergency. Even though the Capitol building has officially “opened” to the public for the first time since March 2020, access is minimal. Public access is still restricted for the House and Senate chambers and office buildings.
An ice cream social held by the Civility Caucus on the first day of special session set a much milder tone than legislators are used to for in-person work. With access to legislators still so limited, they get to dodge the normal volume of protestors, demonstrators, constituents and lobbyists.