Gov. Dayton calls special session of Legislature for 10 a.m. Friday

Despite breakthrough, environment and agriculture bill remains a sticking point.

Governor Dayton spoke to reporters in the Residence, behind him are House Speaker Kurt Daudt, House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, Lt. Governor Tina Smith, Senate Minority Leader David Hann and Majority Leader Tom Bakk. ] GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Thursday, June 11, 2015 Governor Mark Dayton met privately with all four legislative caucus leaders at the Governor's Residence Thursday morning in hopes of nailing down a final agreement before the state draws any closer to a government shu
Gov. Mark Dayton spoke to reporters on Thursday with all four legislative caucus leaders and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, third from left, behind him. Below, Senate Minority Leader David Hann, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, House Speaker Kurt Daudt and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen talked before the news conference. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Gov. Mark Dayton and state lawmakers struck a final deal Thursday night to finish the state budget, setting the table for a Friday special session where approval of money for environmental and agricultural programs is still in doubt.

In an evening meeting, Dayton personally lobbied Senate DFLers to vote for a $190 million environment-agriculture budget bill. Many remain strongly opposed to the measure, which they say weakens environmental protections. After a four-hour meeting with his colleagues, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said he could not guarantee the bill's passage.

"I don't know if it's going to pass," said Bakk, DFL-Cook. "I just don't know."

Dayton said earlier in the evening he would call the session once all four top legislative leaders signed an agreement setting the ground rules for what they hope will be a one-day meeting. Bakk was the last to sign that agreement, and shortly after 11 p.m. Dayton issued his proclamation for a session beginning at 10 a.m.

GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt, who with Dayton negotiated the final budget bills after Dayton vetoed nearly half the state budget following the regular session last month, was first to sign the agreement for Friday's special session.

"I think folks are ready to come in and get these bills passed," Daudt said.

It became increasingly clear Thursday that the controversial environment budget bill was struggling to gain the necessary support in the Senate. Only 10 DFL senators, most of them Bakk allies, voted for the original vetoed bill. The bill will need 34 Senate votes to pass.

Republican support for the bill appeared to be dwindling too. Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, said Thursday morning he has only 10 votes in support of the bill, not enough if the same group of DFL senators vote no a second time.

"Without help from Sen. Hann, I don't believe it will pass," Bakk said.

'We're not ready'

Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, said she was unlikely to vote for the environment bill despite personal pleas from Dayton.

"There's just so much garbage in those bills," Goodwin said before meeting with the governor. "He's not going to shove it down our throats, that's for sure. I think we have to go back to the drawing board."

Sen. Bev Scalze, DFL-Little Canada, said Dayton should relent and listen to the 29 senators — all DFLers — who voted against the environmental bill. She expressed dismay at how legislators have been largely left out of budget negotiations, and said Dayton has struggled to hold the line against GOP policies that members of his party oppose.

"People have forgotten that he wanted to have a robust transportation bill," Scalze said. "He gave up on that. Then he wanted to have pre-K for 4-year-olds. He gave up on that. Then he didn't want to have the auditor's office gutted. He gave up on that. So it's kind of like, 'Let's roll the Senate environmental people and the governor and we'll get our way.' "

Dayton, in an effort to avoid the third state government shutdown in a decade, vociferously opposed allowing legislators to amend the pending budget bills. He said he would have "zero tolerance" for attempts to slow down the special session, and he threatened to campaign against legislators in their districts if they oppose his efforts for a fast-tracked solution.

Accountable to constituents

DFL senators left quickly after their caucus meeting broke up about 10 p.m. Several indicated they wouldn't back down even if it means the environmental bill fails. While a tiny fraction of the overall $42 billion, two-year state budget, the bill's failure in special session would leave standing concerns of possible state park closures and other consequences when the new state fiscal year begins July 1.

Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis, said the shutdown threat might incentivize her colleagues to sign off on Dayton's demands.

"The Senate doesn't want a government shutdown," she said.

Asked if she was willing to defy the governor, fellow DFLer Sen. Kathy Sheran of Mankato said: "The person I'm accountable to is the person who votes in my Senate district. My responsibility is to them, and that's who I'm beholden to. He can twist my arm, though. I'm always open to listening to what he has to say."

Difficult for DFL senators

Dayton left the meeting with senators saying he would not comment on the content of the discussion. In recent days he has shifted from a few lingering demands to putting a strong premium on finishing legislative business well ahead of July 1.

"It's over for this round," Dayton said Thursday morning.

Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, voted against the environment budget bill its first time through. But he signaled that he was more open to the governor's case. Hoffman said he won office in 2012 in part by making an issue of the government shutdown that occurred on the Republican incumbent's watch.

"Follow the governor," Hoffman said. "The guy's been in there making these decisions."

Ricardo Lopez • 651-925-5044

Patrick Condon • 651-925-5049


Senate Minority Leader David Hann, Majority Leader Tom Bakk, House Speaker Kurt Daudt and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen talked before the press conference. ] GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Thursday, June 11, 2015 Governor Mark Dayton met privately with all four legislative caucus leaders at the Governor's Residence Thursday morning in hopes of nailing down a final agreement before the state draws any closer to a government shutdown and held a news conference after the meeting.
Senate Minority Leader David Hann, Majority Leader Tom Bakk, House Speaker Kurt Daudt and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen talked before the news conference. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
House Speaker Kurt Daudt joked with Governor Dayton about how much time they have spent together in recent weeks trying to bring the session to a close. ] GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Thursday, June 11, 2015 Governor Mark Dayton met privately with all four legislative caucus leaders at the Governor's Residence Thursday morning in hopes of nailing down a final agreement before the state draws any closer to a government shutdown and held a news conference after the meeting.
House Speaker Kurt Daudt joked with Dayton about how much time they’ve been spending together in recent weeks, as they’ve been trying to bring this year’s legislative session to a close. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk listens to Gov. Mark. Dayton on Thursday talk about obstacles to finalizing a budget deal. ] GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Thursday, June 11, 2015 Governor Mark Dayton met privately with all four legislative caucus leaders at the Governor's Residence Thursday morning in hopes of nailing down a final agreement before the state draws any closer to a government shutdown and held a news conference after the meeting.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk listened to Gov. Mark Dayton talk about obstacles to the final budget deal during a news conference Thursday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Ricardo Lopez

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Patrick Condon

Night Team Leader

Patrick Condon is a Night Team Leader at the Star Tribune. He has worked at the Star Tribune since 2014 after more than a decade as a reporter for the Associated Press.

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