(KNSI) — According to Governor Tim Walz, negotiations at the State Capitol have reached an impasse.
The 2022 legislative session adjourned last month with unfinished business for spending the state’s massive budget surplus. Party leaders from the House and Senate have been meeting for the previous few weeks to hammer out the details for a special session, but Thursday night, Governor Walz accused Senate Republicans of throwing in the towel, saying they’re not bringing any more offers to the table. He called it “deeply disappointing because it feels like we were negotiating with ourselves over the last few weeks.”
Senate Majority Leader Republican Jeremy Miller fired back and attacked Democrats’ spending priorities. “After four months of session and four more weeks of discussions, the differences could not be resolved.” He says the two are many millions apart in some areas.
A bill allocating $500 million in frontline worker pay was signed, along with spending $2.7 billion to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund. A $1.4 billion bonding bill for construction projects was finished but not finalized. The clock ran out on May 23rd, leaving $8 billion unspent for tax cuts, education, public safety, and health and human services.
Every single seat in both chambers and the governor is up for election this fall.
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