The Minnesota Senate and House both adjourned last night with numerous budget bills left to be considered. As a result, a future Special Session will be called in the coming weeks.

Senator Karin Housley (R-Stillwater) released the following statement in response:  

“I’m incredibly disappointed we couldn’t work together in a bipartisan and bicameral way to get a budget to the finish line by our constitutionally mandated end of Session date, May 19. Minnesotans should be frustrated with what is happening at the Capitol – they expect us to have a workable budget in place by our deadline, and that time has come and gone.

“I want to be clear – a lot of good bipartisan work was done in the Senate. But a big reason we are not done is because House Democrats elected to not show up for three weeks during the first month of Session. Because of that delay, we still have a lot of work ahead of us.

“Some of our biggest budget bills have yet to be passed – bills that focus on areas that are important to Minnesota families: Health and Human Services, Education Finance, Bonding, and Transportation, to name a few.

“I am hopeful we can come to agreements sooner rather than later. Considering our state is facing a $6 billion deficit, Minnesotans expect us to pass a responsible budget as soon as possible.”