Early Saturday morning, the Minnesota Senate adjourned its special session sine die after a week of negotiations broke down over an impasse with Governor Walz and the House of Representatives.

“It’s disappointing to see the special session end this way. The Senate passed legislation fairly distributing federal CARES Act funding to local governments and a series of police accountability measures—then the governor and the House went silent,” said Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Marys Point). “Negotiations had been ongoing for more than a week before being stalled—and as a result, critical COVID-19 funding, broadband expansion, and much more fell through due to the hyper-political tactics from the House and the governor.”

By a wide margin, the Minnesota Senate passed legislation to distribute approximately $841 million in federal CARES Act funding to counties, cities, and townships. Local governments are awaiting a significant amount of funds, including $31.7 million for Washington County, $1.5 million for the City of Stillwater, and $1.5 million for the City of Forest Lake. After passing the Senate, the bill was amended by the House to include millions of dollars in unrelated provisions that were not part of the legislative agreement and which made the bill untenable.

The Minnesota Senate also passed bipartisan legislation for police accountability, including banning chokeholds and requiring law enforcement officers to intervene if they see excessive force. After passing the Senate, the bills were amended by the House to include several highly partisan measures that were not supported by the Senate. Finally, while the Minnesota Constitution mandates that bonding legislation must originate in the House, the body did not bring a bonding bill up for a vote.

“I am hopeful we can put aside our partisan differences and get to work for our constituents,” said Senator Housley.

Senator Karin Housley represents Forest Lake, Stillwater, and the surrounding St. Croix Valley in the Minnesota Senate. She serves as chair of the Senate Family Care and Aging Committee and is an assistant majority leader.