Special sessions aren't special in Minnesota, at all

There's a less-known Minnesota tradition that gets most discussed in the spring of odd-numbered years: state legislators not finishing their work on time.

More than half of Minnesota's Legislatures since gaining statehood in 1858 have gone into special sessions. Most often, it's due to lawmakers missing their deadline to stop working.

However, some special sessions were required so lawmakers could provide emergency or disaster relief. For example, the 2013 special session was called for one day that September to arrange disaster relief funding for 18 counties hit by storms and floods.