The Minnesota legislative special session seems on its way to finish work on the state budget bills before the July 1 government shutdown date. Legislative leaders announced an agreement on the last contentious issue, the police accountability measures included in the public safety bill.

Democrats had been pushing to add a host of new restrictions on police procedures to the bill, while Republicans were loath to add measures that they considered anti-police.

The agreed-upon measures include regulations on no-knock warrants, creation of a police misconduct database to prevent problem officers from moving from one department to another, creating an office of missing and murdered indigenous relatives, and a task force on missing and murdered black women.

With this agreement, and with Gov. Walz’s announcement last week that he would end his COVID-19 emergency powers on Aug. 1, the way is clear for the legislature to finish its work by Wednesday.

That’s good, but still must be a way for the Legislature to finish its work in the time provided in the state constitution, without having to resort year after year to special sessions. Some advocate going to a year-round, full-time legislature. We have a feeling, however, that would simply open a greater pandora’s box, and our legislators would still find themselves bumping up against the government shutdown deadline before it can finish a budget.