Daudt, Dayton still deadlocked as latest special session deadline passes

House Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) on Friday fired back against Gov. Mark Dayton’s assertions that House Republicans have deadlocked negotiations over a potential special session and said he’s not optimistic the Legislature will meet before it is scheduled to convene next month.

“Things have fallen apart, basically, because of the governor’s actions,” a frustrated Daudt said during a morning news conference.

Dayton and Daudt are now scheduled to meet publicly at 2 p.m. to discuss possible health insurance premium relief.

The DFL governor had set a Thursday deadline to agree on parameters of a special legislative session to be held next week to address a sharp rise in MNsure insurance premiums, and potentially finish unresolved tax and bonding bills from the 2016 session.

But by Friday morning, legislative leaders and Dayton had yet to agree to meet ahead of the scheduled start of the 2017 session on Jan. 3, with both the governor and Daudt casting blame on the other.

WATCH Full video of the House speaker's news conference on YouTube

The speaker said Dayton has deviated from negotiating framework established during a Dec. 2 meeting between the governor and legislative leaders. That, Daudt said, is why Dayton and lawmakers have been unsuccessful — after nearly six months of discussion — in reaching an agreement for a special legislative session

“The governor very obviously does not want a special session,” Daudt said.

Dayton offered proposed bill language on Tuesday that includes pulling $312 million from the Health Care Access Fund to pay for a 25 percent rebate for Minnesotans purchasing health insurance on the state’s exchange.

Dayton also proposed an amended version of the tax bill passed by lawmakers in May, and a bonding bill that includes all the projects passed by the House and Senate in the waning minutes of the 2016 session minus highway project earmarks and $300 million in cash for transportation projects.

Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), the House Minority Leader-designate, said in a written statement that House Republicans should respond with a “written, transparent and specific counteroffer.”

“If they are serious about getting the work done, they need to engage in negotiations,” she said.