Special session hopes fading fast

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - Hopes of holding a special session at the state capitol appear to be fading. Democrats and Republicans were looking to reach a deal on a few measures with transportation funding being the largest, but the two sides remain far apart.

Governor Dayton expressed doubts the session would actually happen.

“Well, I'm much more discouraged than I was when I walked into the meeting an hour ago,” said Dayton.

This was meeting number three to deal for a special session and the post-game sound was not promising.

“If the governor wants compromise, he is going to have to be the leader and start showing some compromise because he has shown zero compromise,” said Kurt Daudt, the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

The regular session ended one month ago. Republicans say the billion dollar bonding bill they offered in the final hours already met the governor halfway. They're not interested in giving more, unless they get a couple big things they want.

“I’m beginning to think the Republican caucuses don't want a special session. They'd rather just play politics with this, just keep adding things to it,” said Dayton.

What GOP leaders added is a failed bill that bans local governments from setting their own minimum wages, called pre-emption, and a bill about tax credits for private school tuition.

It's why the governor accuses them of trying to sabotage even having a session, but then he got the same accusation tossed back.

“I'm beginning to believe that Democrats don't want a special session,” said Daudt. “That they think they'd like to play the blame game for the election and if that's the game that we're playing, I don't want any part of it.”

“I'm going to go have my lunch with my step-brother, Andy McPhail with the Philadelphia Phillies who I haven't seen in five years,” said Dayton. “I'd stay if it were worth doing, but there's no point in staying - we're moving backwards.”