Schedule proposes April end to 2012 Minn. session

Published 11:34 am Wednesday, December 14, 2011

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota House Republicans say they’ll aim for an April conclusion to the 2012 legislative session, which would make it the earliest finish in more than a decade.

The schedule released Wednesday by House Speaker Kurt Zellers in a memo to members suggests an April 30 adjournment. The session opens on Jan. 24.

There are planned breaks in early February for precinct caucuses and in early April for Easter and Passover observances.

Technically, lawmakers can meet deep into May. And since 1998, lawmakers have seldom concluded early. The last April finish was in 1998 when the session closed on the 9th. But the Legislature returned for a few-day special session later that month.

The 2012 schedule is not set in stone, meaning an earlier or later finish is possible.