Governor Tim Walz Returns to Minnesota Capitol for Annual Address April 24th

The State of the State will be delivered April 24 from the House chamber.

Gov. Tim Walz will deliver his fourth State of the State address on April 24 at 6 p.m. in front of a joint session of the divided Minnesota House and Senate.

The annual address from the governor, announced by his office on Monday, has been broadcast remotely the past two years amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19. The first-term Democratic governor will return to the Minnesota House chamber for the speech, where he gave his first State of the State address in 2019.

Walz delivered his 2020 State of the State address from quarantine in the governor’s residence, after an exposure to COVID-19. His third address was recorded in his old classroom in Mankato West High School.

The State of the State comes during his fourth tumultuous year as governor, as he has managed a once-in-a-century pandemic and in the midst of a racial reckoning sparked by George Floyd’s killing by a former Minneapolis police officer.

Walz is expected to outline his priorities for the ongoing legislative session and his plan for spending a nearly $9.3 billion budget surplus, which includes direct tax rebate checks for Minnesotans, $300 million for public safety efforts and more spending on classrooms and programs such as paid family and medical leave.

The governor is seeking a second term this fall. More than a half-dozen Republican candidates are running to be the party’s nominee to challenge Walz in November.