With clock ticking, no progress from leaders on special session

Published 5:26 pm Saturday, January 30, 2016

ST. PAUL — Legislative leaders came up empty-handed after another try at making a special session deal.

Gov. Mark Dayton and fellow Democrats have pressed for months for a special session to extend unemployment benefits for miners on the Iron Range. They’re also weighing proposals to bring Minnesota in compliance with a federal driver’s license law and tackling racial economic disparities.

But the latest round of talks broke off Friday with no clear answer. Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt said he thinks it can wait until the Legislature’s scheduled return in early March.

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Dayton said it’s too urgent to wait five weeks and blames House Republicans for the holdup. He said he’ll keep discussing the outstanding disputes until lawmakers return to the Capitol.