RELEASE: House Statement on Supreme Court's Conclusion

St. Paul- On Thursday, the Supreme Court declined to rule if Governor Dayton’s veto was unconstitutionally coercive. Furthermore, the court stated they believed the Legislature has sufficient funding to sustain itself until regular session and therefore reversed the district court’s decision stating “the constitution does not allow the Judiciary to order funding for the Legislative Branch in the absence of an appropriation.”

As a result of Governor Dayton’s veto, members of the Legislative Coordinating Commission (LCC) adopted a resolution Thursday to take funds intended for non-partisan purposes and use them to continue legislative operations with the hope those funds will be replaced in the future.

“I am disappointed Governor Dayton and the Supreme Court forced us to use funds intended for vital non-partisan purposes in order to prevent the governor’s elimination of the legislature,” said Majority Leader Joyce Peppin, R-Rogers. “This action is not without consequence. Without a signature from the governor or Democrat votes to override a veto, Minnesotans will lose critical services provided by their representatives and senators. We will not be able to draft legislation to help Minnesotans, provide transparency and closed captioning for the public, complete necessary audits to eliminate fraud and abuse, or sustain various citizen-councils.”

"Governor Dayton has made everything we do in Minnesota so entirely partisan that it has become nearly impossible to work with him,” said Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown. “This past legislative session was one of the most productive in recent memory. Together we reduced taxes for hardworking Minnesotans, delivered historic levels of funding for roads and bridges, and helped families struggling with skyrocketing health insurance costs. I am committed to building on that progress in the next session, despite the obstacles the governor is intent on setting.”

The full video of legislative leaders' media availability Thursday morning can be found here.

###