Minnesota Legislature Scales Back Amid Spread of COVID-19

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ The Minnesota Legislature has sharply scaled back its operations, all but adjourning for a month, as the number of coronavirus cases in the state spiked to 54.

Top House and Senate leaders kept their distances from each other and reporters at a news conference Monday, when they said they would hold committee meetings and floor sessions on an on-call basis only through April 14.

One bill still being negotiated would provide funding to hospitals to help them prepare.

Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman says she won't be surprised if they extend the state income tax filing deadline past April 15.