House Speaker Kurt Daudt, outside Governor’s Residence
No special session yet, says House Speaker Kurt Daudt (DOWT) after a morning meeting (Fri) with Governor Mark Dayton and Senate D-F-L Majority Leader Tom Bakk (BOCK). Daudt says working groups will have at least one more meeting, and adds leaders were very careful not to set a specific deadline like a “go” or “no-go” date. Daudt says if there is a special session, it probably would be by the end of January or the first week in February — otherwise lawmakers would just wait until the regular session convenes in early March. On a possible special session agenda: making state drivers licenses conform to federal REAL ID requirements, so Minnesotans will still be able to use them to board domestic flights. Lawmakers are also talking about extending unemployment benefits for Iron Range miners and a job-creation package for Minnesota’s communities of color.