Minnesota House operations stuck in the mud

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From the Minnesota Reformer.

Minnesota House operations stuck in the mud
by Michelle Griffith

Operations of the Minnesota House have ground to a halt as Democrats continue to boycott the session, and both parties are unable to agree on how to proceed.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon presided over the House session Monday, days after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that 68 members must be present for a quorum. House Republicans, who have 67 in their caucus, have been meeting since the opening day of the session on Jan. 14, when they elected a speaker and assigned committee chairs. The Supreme Court’s ruling effectively invalidated House Republicans’ work for the past two weeks.

Democratic House leader Melissa Hortman on Monday said that Democrats are unlikely to boycott the Capitol until a March special election that’s expected to deliver another Democratic member and bring the House to a 67-67 tie. Hortman said she’s optimistic there will be a power-sharing agreement by the end of the week, if negotiations with Republican House leader Lisa Demuth continue to progress.

A key sticking point is whether Republicans will agree to seat Rep. Brad Tabke, a Shakopee Democrat who won his reelection by 14 votes in a contest marred by 20 missing ballots. A judge ruled in an advisory opinion that Tabke would have won anyway, and a do-over is not needed.

All 66 House Democrats are beginning their third week of boycotting the Capitol in an effort to deny Republicans a quorum and control of the chamber.

Simon, seeing 67 House Republicans were present Monday, declared that a quorum was not present and adjourned the House. Shortly after his adjournment, Rep. Drew Roach, R-Farmington, stood up and said it was “sham” for Simon to proceed over the chamber.

“You should not have the gavel. You’re violating the separations of the judicial and of the executive branch. This is a sham,” Roach said after Simon walked off the speaker rostrum.

A House GOP spokesperson later said that Roach’s outburst was unplanned and not the caucus’ official position.

Gov. Tim Walz has yet to call a special election for DFL-leaning House District 40B, though Hortman said she anticipates it will be around March. The district became vacant when Curtis Johnson resigned his seat after a judge ruled he didn’t live in the district.

Republicans on Monday criticized Democrats for their continued absence from the Capitol.

“We are hearing across the state that the best thing that could happen is that Democrats would actually show up for work, get to work with their Republican colleagues, and find a pathway through,” Demuth told reporters Monday. “Unfortunately, there is not a single Democrat today that showed that type of strength or leadership.”

Republicans on Monday wanted to propose and pass a motion that would have revoked the legislative salary for Democrats who continued to boycott the Capitol.

Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, told reporters that Simon would not recognize the motion, and Republicans were unable to propose it.

Photo: Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon presided over the House chamber on Jan. 27, 2025, as Democrats continued to boycott the Capitol. Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer.

This Minnesota Reformer article is republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

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