The 2021 Minnesota State Legislative session officially convened on Tuesday. While most members were in St. Paul, very few conducted business in person on the House or Senate floor. As it has done since March due to COVID-19, the Legislature operated with minimal staff and few members present in the chamber at any given time. Many members took their oath of office standing in their offices or living rooms and raising their right hand in front of a computer screen.
The beginning of session also brought a great deal of procedural uncertainty. Last year, the Legislature finished a non-budget session remotely and conducted a number of special sessions that way, but how will it scale back up to full operation—with newly elected members—and deal with a $50 billion two-year state budget? A lot remains to be seen. In fact, even at the end of this first week, tweaks are still being made to Senate committee memberships and members are still waiting to learn how normally routine processes—like signing bills—will take place in a mostly virtual environment.
With DFLers still in control of the House and the GOP in control of the Senate, the overriding dynamics of session are not likely to change much from the previous 10 months. How will they deal with a projected state deficit? Will Republicans continue to take aim at Governor Walz’s executive actions to respond to the pandemic, and will that undermine other opportunities for compromise? We will have to see how the session plays out for answers to these questions.
No matter what happens, the CGMC will be hard at work advocating for our top priorities and the needs of Greater Minnesota communities.
