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Do you think the Speaker of the House will allow for bathroom breaks?

House leaders insisted on holding the 2016 legislative session in the Capitol even though it's undergoing significant renovation.

How significant? The Minnesota Department of Administration says there won’t be any running water or bathrooms available in the building.

Instead, lawmakers, lobbyists and the public will have to use what they have dubbed "temporary restrooms" (i.e. porta-potties) that will be stationed outside the building.

The Capitol is undergoing a $307 million renovation and is closed to the public.

Minnesota House leaders opted against holding sessions at a different site and insisted they hold next year's short session in the House chamber in the Capitol. The Minnesota Department of Administration says it will cost the state $500,000 to accommodate the House (break down the work and then set it back up) in the 2016 session.

The Capitol will temporarily reopen on March 1, 2016. The 2016 legislative session starts on March 8.

Politics and Government News

Capitol View®

Tom Scheck

Author

There will be no working restrooms in the Capitol during the 2016 session. Lawmakers, lobbyists and the public will need to use porta-potties outside the building.

Hold it! No bathroom access in MN Capitol in 2016

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