Political leaders in Minnesota promised sweeping changes after George Floyd’s killing, but those efforts collapsed on Saturday as leaders in the Minnesota Legislature — the only one in the U.S. where Democrats control one chamber and Republicans the other — failed to compromise on a package of law-enforcement measures before a special session ended, the New York Times reports. Legislators could not reach a deal that reconciled the Democrats’ calls for far-reaching changes to police oversight with Republican leaders who supported a shorter list of “common-sense police reforms” that included banning chokeholds in most situations and requiring officers to stop their colleagues from using unreasonable force. Democrats said the plan passed by the Republican-led Senate consisted of tepid half-steps that were already in place in most law-enforcement agencies. Republicans balked at the proposals passed by the Democrat-controlled House to restore voting rights to tens of thousands of felons and put the state’s attorney general, Keith Ellison in charge of prosecuting police killings.
Democrats argued they should stay in session as long as they needed to reach a compromise. Republicans set a deadline of Friday night before returning to their districts, saying they would return for a one-day session if they were near an agreement. Leaders of both parties blamed each other in competing news conferences. Paul Gazelka, Republican leader of the Senate, described the state of negotiations as essentially hopeless. Jeff Hayden, a Democratic state senator whose district includes the corner where Floyd was killed, said the Republican plan was unacceptable. “If they decide to leave here without getting anything done, it’s on their hands,” he said. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said the failure to pass a bill was an “embarrassment” for the state.