Clock ticking to pass budget as lawmakers return in special session to finish work

Lawmakers returned on Monday to a noisy Capitol brimming with visiting Minnesotans for the first time in 14 months. The joyous mood was tempered by the clock — time is ticking to complete a new $52 billion state budget or force the state into a government shutdown.

The Legislature has until midnight on June 30 to pass a two-year budget. Since last month, a select group of lawmakers have been negotiating various aspects of the state’s budget, while also tussling over policy decisions that stand to have vast impact on public safety and policing, smog emissions, and the state’s eviction moratorium.

These so-called working groups, made up of lawmakers who had previously been part of conference committees that hash out differences between House and Senate budget bills, have been working largely out of public view to figure out the details of the new state budget.

A handful of budget bills have been completed, while several still remain outstanding.

Read more: https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/06/14/clock-ticking-to-pass-budget-as-lawmakers-return-in-special-session-to-finish-work/