Special session No. 2 to begin Monday

For the second time in as many months the House and Senate will meet in a special session.

Gov. Tim Walz has issued a proclamation calling the Legislature back to St. Paul at noon Monday, and he will extend the COVID-19 peacetime emergency by 30 days to help the state continue to respond to the pandemic.

Walz is urging members to pass a “robust” capital investment package, police reform and accountability measures and assistance for businesses impacted by civil unrest following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd.

“I am asking Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature to work together on the urgent matters Minnesotans expect them to tackle this summer,” Walz said in a statement. “Our state had a trying few months, and we need the Legislature to rise to the occasion and get things done to help Minnesotans rebuild and recover. Give me a bill to sign on police accountability and reform and let’s work together to build a stronger, more equitable economy by investing in local jobs and projects across the state.”

It will be the Legislature’s 10th special session since 2010.

An eight-day special session last month ended without lawmakers reaching agreement on a quartet of priority bills that included overhauling public safety and police accountability and allocating federal coronavirus funds to local units of government.