Over the past week, Bluestem's been posting about the Minnesota House legislative process reform initiated by Democrats. Now we learn of Republican dissent in the shape of House Republican, Greg Davids of Preston, who will start his fifteenth (non-consecutive) term in January.
In 'Nothing good happens after midnight:' House DFLers consider debate limits, Fox 9's Theo Keith reports:
Rep. Greg Davids, R-Winona, said lawmakers are elected and paid to approve the best legislation, regardless of the hour.
"The House has been very open. It’s the people’s House. I don’t think we should have restrictions on who can talk and when," said Davids, the longest-serving House Republican. "Some of us just get going about 11:30 so we’re fine to go all night."
Now he tells us. Back in 2017, KARE 11's John Croman reported in State Capitol mute button riles lawmakers:
DFL legislators this week fought a losing battle to remove the House Speaker's mute button, which allows the presiding officer to silence all of the microphones in the chamber.
It's a tiny piece of equipment, but it means much more to some lawmakers.
"We need to show Minnesotans we don't need this artificial tool, this button, to hush people, to silence people," Rep. Erin Murphy of St. Paul told her colleagues during a floor debate Thursday night. . . .
During Thursday's debate cite existing House Rule 2.15, stating that "proceedings on the floor of the House must be recorded on an appropriate audio recording medium under the direction of the Chief Clerk."
Democrats asserted that if a lawmaker's microphone is muted during speech or debate those words won't be officially recorded, which would violate the rule.
"But when the button is pressed, no recording happens, which is really quite important, right? It can no longer be broadcast to the public, right?" Rep. Dave Pinto of St. Paul asked.
After consulting with Chief Clerk Pat Murphy, Thursday's acting House Speaker, Rep. Greg Davids of Preston ruled that it wouldn't violate Rule 2.15 because ambient voices can still be picked up from a distance even when the microphones are cut.
Earlier, Briana Bierschbach reported in The House speaker’s new ‘master mute’ button: minor change or a big deal? at MinnPost:
Thissen, who was unaware of the change to the House’s audio system, said there were several moments during the session where DFL member’s microphones seemed to go out while they were speaking. During session, he assumed the sound problems had something to do with ongoing construction in the Capitol. He said he’s worried the new button will be used to mute the minority when debates are heated in the House.
“I think it’s a big change. It may seem like a minor thing, but it gives the speaker the power to shut off debate in that form, when someone is in the middle of a sentence,” Thissen said. “I wouldn’t have approved it.”
Also of interest: Davids' assertion that "Some of us just get going about 11:30 so we’re fine to go all night," makes us wonder just what sort of a machine the Preston Republican is, given that the Minnesota House Taxes Committee--which he chaired before the flip--and the Ways and Means both met at 10:15 am, while the Commerce and Regulatory Reform and Veterans Affairs Division met in the afternoon. While most committees wrap up their business before the session, Mr. Just-Getting-Started-At-11:30-p.m. must be pretty tired after hours and hours on the job.
Indeed, WCCO's Pat Kessler reported in 2017's After All-Nighters, Special Session In Disarray:
Back-to-back all-nighters and new deadlines did not lead to a deal at the State Capitol.
Lawmakers are struggling to find an agreement on a new, two-year budget Wednesday evening.
State law required a budget by Monday at midnight. The only compromise was a handshake agreement to keep working.
They set a new deadline of 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, but that came and went without a deal.
The two sides are still nowhere close to a deal, and there is real potential of this special session spinning into infinity.
Exhausted lawmakers had little advance notice or review of the bills they voted on. ...
They passed a Tax Bill at dawn, pushing back against complaints about a lack of transparency.
“This bill was not passed in the dark of night, in a smoke-filled room with high-priced lobbyists,” said Rep. Greg Davids, R-Taxes Committee Chair. “The sun is shining!”
Lovely.
FWIW, Davids believes 1000-page Omnibus-prime bills are inescapable, while vetting ideas through policy and finance committees simply restrains "new ideas." Fox 9 reports:
Davids said it will be difficult to limit omnibus bills at the end of the session.
"I think that at some point towards the end of session when things get moving, new ideas come up, you need to put a bill together, and you’ll have some big bills," he said.
In other words, transparency through public committee hearings: bad. Enormous, last minute multi-policy area omnibus bills that include magic language nobody's read except those "just get going about 11:30"? A-okay.
Earlier posts about legislative reform:
- An informal history: Rep. Pelowski’s presentation on reforming Minnesota’s legislative process
- No more "dark of night" mystery bill votes in MN House? Pelowski reforms might make it so
- MN House Speaker-elect Hortman intends to make "Omnibus Prime" bills a thing of the past
- What's coming, what's passing away, and what's enduring in Minnesota House committees
Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Collins has more in Lawmaker proposes changes to practice of lawmaking when nobody’s looking.
Photo: Preston representative Greg Davids. Does he ever sleep?
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