House Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown)
The 2016 Minnesota Legislature convenes tomorrow at noon. Governor Mark Dayton says the first thing to pass should be a bill to extend unemployment benefits for miners on the Iron Range. Initially Republicans wanted it linked to business tax cuts, which Dayton calls “just immoral.” But it appears House Speaker Kurt Daudt is now willing to go Dayton’s way. Daudt says he expects the legislature will pass a jobless extension benefit bill the first week of session, but adds the legislature must also take long-term measures to grow Iron Range jobs. “We all know that what people want on the Iron Range isn’t just an unemployment check. They want a paycheck,” he says.