Neighbors, I’m writing with another update on the Minnesota House. Tuesday, I joined my colleagues in denying quorum to the Republicans due to their refusal to work together on a power-sharing agreement. Minnesota voters sent a tied House to the legislature for this biennium, but unfortunately, Republicans are denying the will of the voters. On Tuesday, after Secretary of State Steve Simon declared no quorum was present and adjourned the House, Republicans illegally seized control and “appointed” themselves to the Speakership, to the Chair positions of all committees (leaving all DFL members off of committees entirely), and began conducting sham proceedings. Minnesota state law and our Constitution are clear that this was not legitimate House business, and the DFL has since filed lawsuits against the GOP, asking the Supreme Court to confirm that all of their actions are null and void. However, this isn’t the only action Republicans plan to take to disenfranchise voters and ignore the will of Minnesotans. House Republican leaders have stated they intend to use their temporary plurality to deny State Rep. Brad Tabke his seat in the Minnesota House. This is despite the fact that a judge ruled he was duly elected and concluded that voiding the election would have “no basis in fact or law.” Even more ominously, Republicans have indicated that they might refuse to seat additional members. I refuse to participate in a process that will result in the disenfranchisement of thousands of Minnesotans. Doing so would be a slap in the face to democracy and would undercut the work we did last session to make our voting processes more transparent, fair, accessible, and secure. I also refuse to participate in sham proceedings that violate the Minnesota Constitution, which I took an oath to uphold. I do not relish boycotting activities at the Capitol, but Republicans need to return to the negotiating table. Democratic offers to let the Republicans lead the House during the temporary plurality are more than reasonable. In the absence of such an agreement, denying quorum is a legitimate legislative tactic, most recently used by Republicans in the Michigan legislature. To be clear, I am continuing to work hard for the residents of District 43B. While we wait for the Republicans to come back to the table, I’m working here in the district and around the metro taking meetings with our legislative partners, local leaders, and of course, constituents. Just this week, I was able to visit one of our Planned Parenthood locations, food shelf VEAP, and met with Robbinsdale School Board Chair Greta Evans-Becker to discuss ways we can work together. I’m also working with colleagues to prepare legislation for the biennium to ensure we can hit the ground running once a power-sharing agreement is worked out.  My main priority is, and always will be, serving my community. Please reach out if you have any questions or if I can be of service. Keep in TouchTo stay up to date with our important work at the State Capitol, you can see the Minnesota House of Public Information Services’ nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. You can also stay up-to-date with the latest by following my Facebook page. To share your input or ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to reach out at rep.mike.freiberg@house.mn.gov or 651-296-4176, and I will be happy to help. If you were forwarded this email and you’d like to subscribe, click here. If you have a friend or neighbor who would be interested in receiving these, please forward this and encourage them to subscribe. Sincerely, Mike Freiberg State Representative |