Dear neighbors,
On Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the House Republican actions over the last two weeks violated our state constitution. Every GOP action, including the election of a fake Speaker and appointment of fake committees, was unlawful and illegitimate.
Republicans must respect the results of the election in Shakopee where voters elected DFLer Brad Tabke to represent them. Instead, Republicans are refusing to seat him, which would disenfranchise 22,000 voters. The reason they want to do this is simple: to empower them to advance their extreme agenda, including taking away reproductive freedoms, eliminating paid family leave, rolling back progress to address climate change, and ending free school meals for kids.
House DFLers will not allow Republicans to overturn an election simply because they can. Never before has a legislator been kicked out when they have done nothing wrong, and to do so would gravely subvert the free and fair elections Minnesotans expect. Rep. Tabke won on election night, won in a recount, and won in court. DFLers look forward to returning to the Capitol once we have an agreement with Republicans that respects the will of the voters.
Meanwhile, House Democrats continue to work directly with our constituents and in our communities. Over the last week, I:
- Met with KIDS in Need foundation. They had some legislative requests that would allow them to do more to provide school supplies to teachers for them to use to help support their students. You can learn more about this organization at https://www.kinf.org/.
- Took DFL bonding lead Rep. Fue Lee to learn about the bonding needs for the East Metro Public Safety Center and how it will allow for better training of first responders in our area.
- Met with several of my colleagues, staff, and with Clay County to hear their plans and proposals that will help build out the mental health system that is needed for our kids. They have a great collaboration that will help fill one of the holes in our mental health system. I will strongly support them.
While I am very frustrated by the House Republicans unconstitutional actions, I am still open to working with them, but to be able to trust them I will need an agreement that will preserve Rep Tabke’s fair election. Based on the Supreme Court ruling that said the Republicans don’t have a governing majority unless they have 68 people, we need an agreement to address the situation. Our proposal is simple: Republicans can run the House while they have an advantage, but when the House returns to a 67-67 tie, we must return to a fair, co-governing model.
Minnesota voters sent a clear message on Election Night – they expect us to govern together. It’s time for Republicans to return to the negotiating table so we can move forward.
Keep in touch
It is easy to stay connected to news from the State Capitol. Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website.
Please continue to reach out with any input, ideas, or feedback about the issues important to you. I value hearing from you, so call (651) 296-5363 or email any time at rep.peter.fischer@house.mn.gov. You can find my information on my House website.
Sincerely,
Peter Fischer