Minnesota House lawmakers are threatening to skip the first two weeks of the legislative session
House Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature are threatening to sit out the first two weeks of the legislative session that begins Jan. 14, deepening political rifts, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
If Democrats don’t show up, Republicans won’t have the quorum — meaning the minimum number of people they need — they need to pass legislation, The Star Tribune reported. At the same time, Republicans are weighing whether to use their one-seat advantage in the House of Representatives to deny the seat of a Democratic representative whose election victory is being contested in court.
Originally, A house in Minnesota it was set to be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, but a state judge ruled in December that the newly elected Democrat, Curtis Johnson, was ineligible for the seat because he does not live in Roseville’s district. A special election to fill the seat will be held on Jan. 28, but until then, Republicans will have the upper hand.
Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman (Brooklyn Park-36B) leads a session of the Minnesota State Legislature at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Louis. Paul. (Getty Images)
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Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) leaders are expected to return to the House session if a Democrat wins a special election that would tie the House 67-67.
Republicans hoped to elect a president with their advantage in order to control House committees for the next two years, but DFL House Leader Melissa Hortman said the parties should govern with power divided since the chamber is likely to be tied again after a special election.
“If there is no power-sharing agreement, we will not be here,” Hortman said during a news conference at the state Capitol on Monday.
But Republican leaders disagree, arguing that there are currently no tied votes and that they can reach a quorum on their own since there will be 144 House members until a special election in January.
“It completely calls into question whether or not true separation of powers is going to work if we see Democrats refusing to potentially even come to work,” House Republican Leader Lisa Demuth said Monday at a Republican press conference.
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Secretary of State Steve Simon will preside over the first day of the House of Representatives, where he will decide the quorum.
Republicans may also refuse to allow Democratic state Rep. Brad Tabke to take office, since his 14-vote electoral victory was contested in court after county election officials lost 20 absentee ballots in one precinct, the Star Tribune reported. But the GOP could also simply bar Tabke from taking office on his own constitutional authority, regardless of the judge’s decision, further strengthening the GOP advantage.
Minnesota Legislature Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park and Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis. DFL leaders held a morning press conference to outline the priorities of the DFL majority on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.St. Paul, Minn.
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“We’re waiting on that judge’s decision. We’ll make a decision based on what the judge passes,” Demuth said in an interview before the press conference. “But we, of course, asked for new elections. This is the only way to guarantee solid elections in the area.”
If House Democrats boycott next week’s session, Demuth suggested they could be the subject of a recall petition.
“I expect them to be professional legislators and to show up,” Demuth said.
Hortman, however, was optimistic that the sides would come to an agreement before the session began, the Star Tribune reported.
“Things are working themselves out. It’s early, there’s still a whole week before we have to get together,” Hortman said. “We have a lot of time to get together and talk about how we can work together, and I’m confident we will.”
