Spending $66 billion: Highs and lows of MN legislative season

Minnesota’s legislative session: highs and lows

The legislative season started with a House standoff, included a senator's arrest, and ended with a compromise deal that cut $5 billion from the previous budget and didn't particularly please members of either party. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the highs and lows of the session at its close.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A speedy marathon special session got Minnesota’s budget across the finish line early Tuesday morning with three weeks to spare.
The state will stay open for business.

How we got here

Standoff start:

"This session started out rocky," said Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday morning.

Republicans gaveled in a half-empty House chamber on Jan. 14.

"What we saw today was an attempted coup," said Rep. Jamie Long (DFL-Minneapolis).

"I am the Speaker of the House, and we look forward to working with them over the next two years in a reasonable way," said eventual Speaker Lisa Demuth, (R-Cold Spring).

On his ninth try, Secretary of State Steve Simon gaveled in a quorum of the House.

Cheers in the chamber came after a 23-day standoff to start the 2025 legislative session.

Power shift

GOP priorities:

Republicans took control of the tied House and immediately pushed priorities like removing undocumented immigrants from MN Care.

"We already know that over $86,000 of taxpayer dollars have gone to fund people who are here illegally," said Rep. Isaac Schultz (R-Elmdale Township), in February.

"They have been the backbone of our Minnesota food and farming system for many decades," countered Beth Slocum of the Land Stewardship Project.

A compromise passed four months later, keeping only undocumented kids enrolled in the state insurance plan.

The GOP also attempted to ban trans girls from high school sports.

"I believe in preserving female sports teams," said Rep. Dawn Gillman (R-Meeker), in March.

"This bill is not about protecting fairness in sports," said teacher and coach Maggie Dayvis.

That bill foundered, and Republicans lost some steam when Bloomington police arrested Sen. Justin Eichorn for allegedly soliciting a minor in March.

"I am resigning my seat in the Minnesota Senate for district six, effective immediately," he wrote from jail in March.

Diamonds and pearls

Winners and losers:

Rep. Nolan West turned his daughter’s abuse at a Blaine daycare into something worthwhile.

He fought to force daycares to have surveillance cameras in toddler areas and a version of his bill passed.

Social districts, on the other hand, couldn’t round up enough friends.

Every liquor bill joined sports betting and even Prince out in the rain.

A bill adding tunes from The Purple One and Bob Dylan as state songs failed.

So did an attempt to expand school seclusion rooms for children up to the third grade.

That wasn’t locked in until after the regular session ended.

The final countdown

That's a wrap:

Three weeks of negotiations led to a 16-hour special session in which legislators passed a $66 billion budget for 2026-27, cutting about $5 billion from the previous two years.

"We're really proud of the work that we were able to get done this legislative session," Speaker Demuth said late Monday night.
"The Senate is now adjourned," said Senate President Bobby Joe Champion as he wrapped up the Senate's session just before 2 a.m.