ST. PAUL, MN – Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) released the following statement following a series of meetings with Speaker Hortman, Governor Walz, and Committee Chairs to discuss a potential special session: 

“With a massive budget surplus, Republicans made it a priority to give money back to the people, invest in public safety with more good cops on the streets and holding criminals accountable, invest in literacy programs to help kids read, and provide more funding for nursing homes and disability service providers. 

“Even with a bipartisan legislative agreement to cut income taxes and end the tax on Social Security benefits, Democrats weren’t willing to pass this bill without billions more in spending. 

“Simply put, Governor Walz and the House Democrats have different spending priorities than Minnesotans. After four months of session and four more weeks of discussions, the differences could not be resolved.” 

Senate Republicans continued to meet to see if there was a path for an agreement to a special session, but key budget areas and policy provisions, including HHS and Public Safety, remain many millions apart.