May 19, 2020 •
Minnesota Legislature Adjourns Sine Die
Minnesota House Chamber - Chris Gaukel [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]
The Minnesota Legislature left much unfinished when it adjourned sine die on May 18 as required by the constitution.
Both chambers expect to be back in a special session on June 12 when Gov. Walz’s current declaration of a Peacetime Emergency ends.
If Walz wants to extend the emergency declaration again, he is obligated by law to call a special session to give both chambers the right to rescind his declaration by a majority vote.
Although Walz calls the session, the legislative branch decides when it ends.
This also takes away the governor’s power to set the agenda for the special session.
Most of the bills passed were in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, a Select Committee on Minnesota’s Pandemic Response and Rebuilding was formed to allow the House to continue conversations about the pandemic after wrapping up its regular legislative session.
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