Minnesota Governor Tim Walz remains hopeful that lawmakers will agree on a state bonding bill when they meet for their fifth special session of the year on Monday.
So far, neither side has been able to reach common ground on how much money the package should include.
"I put my bonding proposal in January of last year and it's an important investment for Minnesota," Walz told WCCO's Dave Lee during the Thursday morning news. "It makes great financial sense. I can't put Minnesotans at risk and that's complicated things since May."
Minnesota Republicans have been upset of Governor Walz's use of emergency powers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Walz will extend those powers on Monday, he remains optomistic.
"I'm excited and I'm always willing to back to the table and work. I've had good conversations over the last several days with Senator Gazelka," Walz said. "
Walz said he and Gazelka are working on the state's vaccine plan how to be a pilot once a COVID-19 vaccine comes online.
The governor took part in a COVID-19 roundtable on Wednesday with various health leaders and individuals deeply impacted by the virus. The meeting came as Wisconsin announced tighter restrictions for indoor gatherings as cases surge there.
"We're here to help our neighbors, but in southeast Minnesota, 30 percent of our hospital beds are filled with people from Wisconsin. They're already using that surge capacity in Minnesota," Walz said. "Minnesota has that surge capacity there and we have the PPE built-in. We just hope we don't need to use them."
The Minnesota Department of Health reported 14 new COVID-19 deaths and 918 new cases on Wednesday.
