As a person who watches select Minnesota House committees--either livestreaming or via the MNHouse Information Service YouTube archives, I was happy to read this in Lisa Kaczke's Session Daily article, House leaders look ahead to bipartisan work in tied chamber:
Now that the District 40B special election is over, DFL and Republican leaders are focused on the bipartisan work ahead in a chamber with a 67-67 tie.
Beginning next week, DFL and Republicans will co-chair all House committees except the body’s fraud prevention panel. Bills will also need to have bipartisan support to be approved by committees and move to the House floor where 68 votes are needed for passage.
House Speaker Emerita, DFL Leader Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) said she had a “good conversation” on Wednesday with House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) and hopes there’ll be a shift from bills favored by only Republicans to more bipartisan bills next week.
“I think we’re both ready to turn the page and start working together,” said Hortman. . . .
A case in point where bipartisan work wasn't happening? The Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy.
I've followed the committee for many years, since issues related to rural Minnesota--part of Bluestem's stomping ground--dominate the committee's jurisdiction.
On Wednesday, minority lead Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul (who'll be co-chair next week when the body is evenly split 67-67) posted on Facebook about the committee's one-sided work (not a tradition in ag policy-making):
The full text:
On Monday, I spoke on the House Floor in favor of a bipartisan bill to modify financial reporting requirements for grain buyers. In the Agriculture Committee, where I serve as DFL Lead, I brought forward some of my concerns about the bill being used to subsidize bad management with taxpayer dollars. Some of those concerns were addressed by Republicans, leading to my support of the bill this week.
Unfortunately, that was a rare bright spot of bipartisan work happening this week. In the Agriculture Committee, House Republicans decided they were going to use their temporary 1-vote margin to push through a budget bill that included unvetted proposals before the proper budget target process has been completed. You can watch my comments in committee below.This is not normal and is contrary to the spirit of bipartisan work that my colleagues have stated they want to adhere to. It was an extremely disappointing partisan move, especially in our current House makeup where no bill can pass without bipartisan support.As I said in committee, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Republicans should not be pushing these one-sided budget bills at this time, especially before we know the full impact of the barrage of USDA cuts coming down from Washington D.C.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Today, House Republicans on the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee passed HF1704, a partisan attempt at an Agriculture and Broadband Finance and Policy budget bill on a party-line roll call vote. The bill rolls back worker protections and cuts funding for locally sourced hunger relief programs.
This comes just days after the Minnesota Department of Agriculture confirmed that previously signed contracts with the USDA of $9,226,348 for school food purchasing and $4,045,518 for childcare institution food purchasing were canceled, as well as the $4,732,009 from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program.
Representative Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul), who will co-chair the House Agriculture Committee when the House power-sharing agreement takes effect next week, released the following statement following the bill hearing:
“This bill does not have 68 votes, and it will not become law. However, today’s vote does illustrate House Republicans’ misplaced spending priorities, unwillingness to work together, and willful disregard for the impacts of the Trump administration’s cuts to USDA.
“DFLers are committed to building an Agriculture budget that centers hunger relief, supports local food producers, and ultimately helps people throughout this state. Democrats have been ready to work together to solve the problems facing Minnesotans, but Republicans’ unwillingness to listen to the colleagues they need to vote for this bill shows how deeply unserious they are about governing during their temporary majority.”
Readers will recall that Bluestem posted USDA cancels $18 million in funding for school meals and food banks in Minnesota, and MinnPost: Delay in conservation grants adds another layer of uncertainty for MN farmers as well as noting a similar USDA-related story here in South Dakota: Grant that ‘would have fed thousands’ on Rosebud Sioux Reservation lost to Trump cuts.
Let's hope the right-leaning caucus grows some common sense as balanced comes back to the MN House chamber.
UPDATE: Wednesday's committee hearing on the bill continued in much the same vein, as I noted on the X platform:
Heckova show. Anderson went down narrow partisan path--unusual in MN ag policymaking --and Dems weren't talking it lightly. #mnhouse #mnleg #mnfarmers https://t.co/tL7fgSx6oi
— Sally Jo Sorensen (@sallyjos) March 12, 2025
end update
The MNHouse Information Services of Monday's hearing, beginning with Hansen's remarks--and includes responses to them from committee members on both sides of the partisan divide:
Photo: Screencap of the MnHouse Information Services YouTube of the House Agriculture Committee hearing.
Related posts
- USDA cancels $18 million in funding for school meals and food banks in Minnesota
- MinnPost: Delay in conservation grants adds another layer of uncertainty for MN farmers
- Grant that ‘would have fed thousands’ on Rosebud Sioux Reservation lost to Trump cuts.
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