ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Gov. Tim Walz is prepared to call Minnesota lawmakers into a special session that would begin Monday.
The session is triggered by an extension of the peacetime authority that Walz has used to manage the coronavirus in Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio News reported.
The first special session this summer came soon after the death of George Floyd, and lawmakers wrestled over proposals for major changes in policing. Democrats and Republicans couldn’t come together on the issue. They also didn’t approve a package of state-financed construction projects.
Both items are likely to be back on the table next week.
“Obviously we cannot walk away without doing some police reforms in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder,” Walz said at an event Tuesday focused on child care assistance grants. “And we also have bonding that is part of the economy that is really important and some supplemental issues that need to be addressed.”
Walz said he spoke extensively with legislative leaders on Monday in an effort to sort through some areas of contention early, Minnesota Public Radio News reported.
“I am optimistic,” Walz said. “It was bipartisan. There were positions that were being staked out. But it was in the best intentions of Minnesotans.”
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