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Special session on flood relief is possible for Aug. 24

The expected one-day legislative gathering would deal with flood relief for storms that hit northern Minnesota.

August 7, 2012 at 3:53AM

Legislative leaders say they have reached an agreement with Gov. Mark Dayton's office to tentatively schedule an Aug. 24 special legislative session focused on flood relief for areas in northern Minnesota hit by severe storms in June.

"The exact time and final disaster relief package has yet to be determined; however, we are notifying members for your planning purposes," Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem and House Speaker Kurt Zellers said in a letter to legislators Monday.

Dayton and legislative leaders have talked about a one-day special session to approve a state match for federal disaster relief funds and to fill any gaps the federal help leaves behind. They hope to avoid any contentious issues to quickly get help to northern Minnesota.

Dayton will not finalize plans and call a special session until all four legislative caucus leaders sign off on an special session agreement, Dayton spokesman Bob Hume said.

On Tuesday, legislators will meet to begin drafting the relief package and to review how the state has handled aid in the past.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved emergency funds to help fix public infrastructure but denied the state's request for money to help individuals rebuild and repair. Dayton has appealed that rejection.

If history is any guide, his plea may go unheeded. In the past three years, states have made 23 appeals of FEMA's rejection of individual aid grant funding. Of those, only five were granted.

Rachel E. Stassen-Berger • Twitter: @rachelsb

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Rachel E. Stassen-Berger

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