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Capitol View®
Tim Pugmire

Best place for special session: Farmington?

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A Republican state lawmaker from Farmington wants his city’s high school to play host to a one-day special session of the Minnesota Legislature, if and when one is called to approve a flood relief measure.

With much of the state Capitol building under major reconstruction, Rep. Pat Garofalo said he thinks an alternative venue could save the state money and planning hassles.

“Historically we’ve always recorded our sessions,” Garofalo said.”There are some issues with technology in the state Capitol right now and about why that would have to be re-transition or repurposed and brought back up to allow for the recordings of those things. Second of all, any time you have large numbers of people or public access with a construction zone there are safety issues.”

Two students from Farmington High School, Andrew Lupkowski and Natalie Pellin, helped Garofalo make the case for hosting a special session.

“We have a beautiful scenic drive to our school, a short 20-minute commute from downtown St. Paul,” Pellin said.

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton is seeking federal disaster aid for flood damage throughout the state. A special session might be necessary to cover the state share of that assistance.

A special session is not a certainty, said Dayton’s press secretary, Matt Swenson. He also said the location and scope would need agreement among the governor and all four caucus leaders.

"While Rep. Garafolo’s idea is an interesting one, the additional costs incurred by holding a special session outside the Capitol would need to be considered – including travel expenses, IT and audio-visual requirements, public accessibility, and other costs," Swenson said.

"Gov. Dayton’s primary concern is ensuring Minnesotans affected by this summer’s flooding get the help they need as quickly as possible,” he added.