Text: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:May 13, 2026Contact: Maren Stewartmaren.stewart@state.mn.us 612-594-1721Governor Walz, Legislative Leaders Announce Bipartisan Agreement[ST. PAUL, MN] - Today, Governor Tim Walz and legislative leaders announced a bipartisan agreement and issued the following statements:"This agreement reflects the disciplined, fiscally responsible approach Minnesotans expect," said Governor Walz. "We are keeping a balanced budget, making targeted reductions, and focusing every dollar on core priorities: fiscal sustainability, critical infrastructure, and the health and wellbeing of our communities. At a time of real uncertainty, we are protecting Minnesota's strong financial position while delivering a historic, bipartisan investment in HCMC, a cornerstone of our health care system and a critical safety net for Minnesotans across the region. This agreement strengthens Minnesota's long-term stability, supports the broader health care ecosystem, and reflects the discipline of living within our means while preparing for the challenges ahead.""This was a hard-fought negotiation, and I'm damn proud to say we defended many of our most essential Senate positions, including property tax relief for homeowners and through direct support to counties, and funding to stabilize healthcare at HCMC and critical access hospitals around the state," said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy. "The Senate DFL caucus worked throughout this session to address the affordability crisis, save our healthcare system, invest in community infrastructure and keep food on the table for Minnesotans. This budget deal models those priorities, though much of it is consumed backfilling costs created by cuts from the federal government, and some of our strongest proposals did not have support across the aisle. We got good work done, and will look forward to connecting with Minnesotans after session to prepare ourselves for the challenge we face and solutions we can build next year.""Our caucus has fought all session long for car tab relief, property tax cuts, and meaningful anti-fraud measures," said Speaker Demuth. "This budget delivers that, along with help for rural and critical access hospitals across the state and relief for our counties. With this budget, we're delivering on affordability for communities across the state. This will help Minnesotans statewide afford their lives for years to come.""This is a strong bipartisan agreement that saves HCMC, includes a significant infrastructure bill, property tax refunds, and a tab fee reduction," said House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson. "While this certainly doesn't include everything House DFLers wanted, it is a strong step forward on important issues while working in divided government. Providing certainty and stability for HCMC was a necessity, and I'm glad we were able to find bipartisan support. DFLers are ready to pass this agreement and complete this work for the people of Minnesota."The signed agreement can be viewed here.