Talk about one of the ultimate Friday summer night legislative news dump.
At the Fargo Forum, Don Davis reports in Speaker changes, allows lawmakers to get pay raise:
Minnesota House members will get pay raises after all.
House Speaker Kurt Daudt announced Friday night, July 21, that he will instruct House staffers to begin paying representatives $45,000 a year, matching what senators have been receiving.
The decision came after two lawmakers sued him for not allowing the raises, which were ordered by an independent commission voters established last year to set legislative pay.
Daudt said as recently as Wednesday that he thought the Legislature would have to approve any pay raise, and he did not plan to ask fellow representatives to take that politically sensitive vote. That changed Friday night.
'While I personally object to the establishment of the Legislative Salary Council, Minnesota voters supported the approach," Daudt said. "In light of recent court rulings and with the advice of counsel, it has become increasingly clear that the Minnesota House is constitutionally required to pay legislators the prescribed amount. We intend to move forward by instituting the salary set by the council."
The decision means representatives will get $45,000 a year instead of $31,400.
"It seems unnecessary to use taxpayer dollars (in a court case) to ultimately receive the same direction from the courts," Daudt said. . . .
It's nice to see the guy quit the games and listen to women legislators. This should happen more often.
Bluestem posted about the lawsuit earlier in the day in MN Speaker Daudt doesn't like state constitution as much as Rep. Moran (DFL) and O’Neill (R) do and earlier in the summer in MN Speaker Daudt doesn't like state constitution as much as Senate Majority Leader Gazelka does.
Photo: Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt.
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