With little time left and much undone, Minnesota Legislature facing ‘very short special session’

Minnesota lawmakers’ deadline to pass a state budget before the end of the 2025 legislative session is Monday.

They almost certainly won’t make it.

The Legislature had passed only four out of more than a dozen budget bills as of early Sunday evening, with less than 36 hours remaining until its constitutionally required adjournment deadline. Legislators passed a veterans and military affairs budget bill on Saturday and housing, agriculture and public safety budget bills on Sunday.

Most major budget bills, from education and taxes to health and human services, remain in limbo as lawmakers negotiate final language and work to make sure they have the votes for passage.

Legislative leaders acknowledged Sunday they will need a special session to pass all the budget bills. The Legislature’s 2025 session ends at 11:59 p.m. Monday.

“There will be a very short special session to finish up the last few things that need to be done,” House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said Sunday morning during an appearance on WCCO-TV.

House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman, who also spoke on WCCO, said “my hope is that we can be done with that one-day special session before Memorial Day weekend.”

Special sessions aren’t uncommon for the Minnesota Legislature. Lawmakers needed special sessions in 2021, 2019, 2017, 2015 and 2011 to pass budget bills.

The Legislature must pass a new two-year state budget before July 1 to avoid a government shutdown.

A two-year budget deal negotiated by Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders faces headwinds as many Democrats have protested its rollback of health care coverage for undocumented immigrant adults. The budget is expected to total $66 billion to $67 billion.

“Compromise takes a lot,” Demuth said. “We know that not everyone has gotten what they want out of it.”

Demuth and House Republicans pushed for the immigrant health care program rollback, citing concerns about its cost. Several DFL lawmakers protested the deal outside the governor’s office on Thursday and again on Friday alongside unions and faith groups.

Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, was among the Democrats who protested ending MinnesotaCare coverage for undocumented immigrant adults. But he said Saturday that he and his colleagues would not be willing to force a state government shutdown over it.

“We do not plan to shut the government down at all,” Frazier said.

Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said it’ll be easier to pass the budget bills through the tied House than the DFL-controlled Senate.

The House GOP and DFL caucuses each have 67 members and need only 34 votes from each to pass bills.

“Rep. Demuth and I can have unhappy members in our caucus,” Hortman said. “Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy has to have every single one of her votes to get these bills through.”

All Democrats will have to vote in lockstep in the narrowly DFL-controlled Senate if they want to avoid making concessions for GOP votes.

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, told the Star Tribune he thinks the budget bills will make it through despite the pushback.

“I’m confident the Senate will pass the budget even though it’s uncertain where every last vote will come from,” Frentz said Thursday evening.

On the policy front, legislators passed separate bills Saturday that make tweaks to Minnesota’s recreational marijuana market before it launches, and toughen the state’s DWI laws by increasing the amount of time repeat offenders are required to have ignition interlocks in their vehicles.

Those bills now head to Walz’s desk.

Nathaniel Minor and Allison Kite of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this report.