Gov. Mark Dayton will deliver his final State of the State speech three weeks after Minnesota's legislative session convenes.
Dayton, set to leave office next January, will give his address before a joint session of the Legislature at 7 p.m. on March 14 at the Capitol. The DFL governor sent a letter to House Speaker Kurt Daudt last week to request an appearance in the House chambers.
The DFL governor's speech will come nearly a month into the last legislative session of his eight years in office. Among Dayton's priorities this session is a $1.5 billion public works bonding bill, the size of which is likely to be a difficult sell to the Republican-controlled Legislature.
The proposal would fund upkeep projects on college campuses, state building improvements, water infrastructure repairs and affordable housing construction.
Dayton is likely hoping his big speech will go smoother than last year. The governor collapsed near the end of last year's State of the State address, and it was revealed the following day that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He underwent surgery in March to remove the cancer and said in December that he has remained cancer-free since then.
Dayton has served as Minnesota's governor since taking office in 2011. He will leave office at the beginning of January 2019 after opting not to run for a third term.
