Special Session Update: Six Bills Sent to Governor and Counting

It took less than an hour’s work for Minnesota lawmakers, who reconvened this afternoon, to pass the first five bills that Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to sign.

The House and Senate took their seats in the Legislature at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, opened the special session, observed a moment of silence for the late Sen. Linda Scheid (D-Brooklyn Park) and then recessed for more than three hours.

When they reconvened at around 7 p.m., they got to work. Within an hour, the Senate had passed six bills; the House had passed five. The legislature then went into recess again.

The House then passed the Legacy bill and sent that to the governor just before 11 p.m.

As it stands now, listed below are the bills and the votes that passed them:   

Minnesota Senate
Judiciary/Public Safety bill: 57-7
Environment bill: 43-22
Jobs and Economic Growth bill: 42-23
Transportation bill: 38-27
Higher education bill: 35-30
Legacy bill: 65-0

Minnesota House of Representatives

Transportation bill: 71-56
Higher education bill: 71-57
Judiciary/Public Safety bill: 77-51
Environment bill: 71-57
Jobs and Economic Growth bill: 76-50
Legacy bill: 98-30
Bonding bill: 112-17
Pension bill: 115-12

The remaining bills include some of the most complex and contentious pieces of legislation. They include: Health and Human Services, Taxes, K-12 Education, Bonding, Pension and State Government.

Dayton has maintained that he will not sign any bills until all 12 have passed the House and Senate.