Dayton plans Feb. 6 State of State address
Gov. Mark Dayton plans to deliver his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at 7 p.m. on Feb. 6, the Associated Press reported. It will be the second year in a row he has given an evening speech rather than the more traditional daytime speech.
The Minnesota Legislature kicked off a new session on Tuesday.
The Democratic governor is expected to submit a proposed budget to the Legislature on Jan. 22, which will serve as a framework for fiscal debates in the newly DFL-controlled House and Senate. Lawmakers are seeking solutions to a $1.1 billion state deficit.
The state budget is expected to dominate lawmakers' time this session.
In other news from the Capitol:
Lawmakers are expected this week to introduce bipartisan legislation aimed at creating a Minnesota's health insurance exchange, an online marketplace for residents to buy coverage, beginning late this year, the Pioneer Press reported.
Forum Communications reports that debate about whether Democratic House leaders undermining agriculture programs by lumping them in with environmental projects interrupted an otherwise ceremonial first day of the session.
