MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s top House and Senate leaders repeated familiar themes Monday as they outlined sharply different visions for the legislative session that begins next month.

Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt of Crown and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, a Cook Democrat, previewed the session at a University of Minnesota Humphrey School forum.

Daudt said his priority is tax cuts, including an exemption for Social Security income. Minnesota has a projected $1.2 billion budget surplus.

“The reality is we’re collecting more money than we need from Minnesotans to operate state government,” Daudt said.

But Bakk cautioned that expensive tax cut reductions could lead to budget deficits. Increasing aid to local governments should be a tax bill priority, he said.

Paid family and medical leave also is one of Bakk’s priorities for the session, which begins March 8.

“I think it would be good if our children had the opportunity to be able to get time off work to care for loved ones who are having health issues, take them to the doctor,” Bakk said. “It meets one of the criteria of ‘Minnesota Nice,’ to me.”

Both leaders cited transportation funding as a priority, but continued to differ on where the money should come from.

Daudt and other Republicans want to use some surplus money and the sales tax revenue generated from auto parts, car rentals and car leases to fund transportation. Bakk and other Democrats still favor a gas tax increase.

“It needs to be a dedicated source of funding, like the gas tax or like license tabs, that actually go into the Highway Trust Fund and are constitutionally committed to transportation,” Bakk said.

Daudt and Bakk also looked ahead to the general election, which will have no statewide candidates this year. Daudt said he thinks Republicans will do well after increasing funding for nursing homes and opposing Democratic-backed tax increases.

“We feel good about our majority,” Daudt said. “But we also know with no statewide races Democrats can bundle their resources and frankly spend them against us. So, we’re optimistic. But we’re going to work hard, and we think we deserve to be re-elected.”

Bakk said he is worried about turnout in November. Enthusiasm for the Democratic presidential nominee will have a big effect on legislative races, he said.