RELEASE: House Republicans call for DHS hearings during upcoming Mini-Session

ST. PAUL, MN—House Republicans sent a letter Tuesday signed by all 55 members of the House Republican Caucus to House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, requesting hearings on the ongoing turmoil at DHS during the upcoming "mini-session" scheduled for October 2-4 in Winona, Minnesota. Hortman announced the mini-session dates in an email to legislators last Thursday.

“It’s been two weeks since we requested hearings on the unexplained turnover at our state’s largest agency," said House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown. "The Mini-Session provides us a perfect opportunity to discuss the shakeup at DHS and update the public on the leadership changes that impact the lives of more than a million Minnesotans.”

Earlier this month, top Republicans on the various committees overseeing DHS wrote to DFL Chairs Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, Rena Moran, DFL-St. Paul, and Dave Pinto, DFL-St. Paul, calling for hearings. Those requests have thus far been ignored.

Newspaper editorial boards have called for transparency and clarity on the turmoil that led to the resignation of top officials, and the abrupt departure of former Commissioner Lourey after just six months on the job. The Fairmont Sentinel said in an editorial earlier this month that “Nobody is offering much in the way of real explanations as to what is going on. So Gov. Walz has some explaining to do. It’s time for some answers.” The Duluth News Tribune echoed those sentiments, saying “Minnesota taxpayers want to know just what’s going on. We deserve to know. We have a right to know.”

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