How much does it cost when the Minnesota Legislature needs to hold a special session?

CBS News

21-05-2025

When Minnesota lawmakers can't reach an agreement on the budget during the course of the regular session, that's when the term "special session" percolates. But how much does it cost the state's taxpayers when lawmakers go into overtime at the Minnesota Capitol Building?
While on paper it would seem that the Minnesota Senate and House will remain empty until next year — as both the Senate President and House Speaker adjourned their duties until Tuesday, February 17, 2026 — the struggle this spring to secure the all-important budget bills all but ensures that lawmakers in both chambers will return well before then.
It's a familiar situation for lawmakers in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Since 2005, there have been 18 special sessions. (The impending session in 2025 would make it 19.)
Seven of those times, the special session was to finalize a budget. Another seven were held in 2020 alone, as lawmakers kept meeting to extend Gov. Tim Walz's peacetime emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rest were to provide disaster assistance to flooded communities.
When it comes to matters of cost, just because the lawmakers are working overtime doesn't mean they'll make extra pay. Their salaries are set for the year at $51,170.
However, each additional day spent in St. Paul means they can claim another per diem of $86 each. Multiply that by the 201 lawmakers and that's $17,286, if they all claim.
Legislators also can earn up to $2,200 in lodging reimbursements per month. Given the often-brief length of special sessions, it's unclear how much they'll be compensated for potentially spending a few more nights near the Capitol. If you add in the cost of paying Capitol security, estimates show a special session could cost roughly $51,000 per day.
That could be the full price tag this year, if Walz's own prediction holds true.
"When the work's done and they're ready, I'll bring them back for a one-day special session and we'll button things up," he told reporters as the legislative session wrapped up Monday.
Special sessions in budget years usually last no more than three days. In 2005, lawmakers were at the Capitol for an extra 51 days. The most recent special session, in 2021, lasted 24 days.
Jeff Wagner
Jeff Wagner joined the WCCO-TV team in November 2016 as a general assignment reporter, and now anchors WCCO's Saturday evening newscasts. Although he's new to Minnesota, he's called the Midwest home his entire life.
contributed to this report.