Gov. Mark Dayton told reporters Tuesday that he would likely call for a special legislative session as early as Friday, but he and GOP leaders must first reach an agreement on three final points.
Dayton on Tuesday spoke after an event in St. Paul Park to highlight railway safety proposals and said he hoped a special session could be scheduled in a matter of days, a Dayton spokesman said.
"We should be able to get it by Friday at the latest," Dayton said. "It depends on how the final negotiations work out."
He acknowledged the possiblity that the session could also take place early next week, and that his staff were meeting with GOP leadership Tuesday morning.
On Monday that three disagreements remain between him and House Republicans in the clutch of budget bills that would be up in the special session.
Specifically, Dayton wants $5 million total for two programs: one to help Minnesotans with disabilities find employment, the other to prevent homelessness among the mentally ill. He wants House Republicans to drop their insistence on cutting a tax incentive for people who power homes or businesses with solar or wind energy.
He's also seeking changes to a Senate DFL plan intended to help the taconite and forest products industries in northeastern Minnesota with utility rates, which he said would lower electric rates for large businesses at the expense of residential and small-business customers.
