Dear Neighbors, Last Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a ruling that stated 68 members of the Minnesota House are needed to conduct legislative business. With neither the GOP or the DFL having that many members in the House (67-66), this ruling provided clarity on something many of us have known since November: We need to work together. House Republicans tried to go it alone. They tried to elect a Speaker of the House, run committees, and introduce bills - but all that they have done since the start of the legislative session on the 14th has been ruled unconstitutional and invalid. I was hoping this ruling would provide a sort of “reset” to the state of things in the House, but it doesn’t seem like we’re quite at the compromise we need.
To recap, my DFL colleagues and I are refusing to grant legitimacy to the actions of House Republicans, and we won’t be in the House Chamber until they agree to two things. - Commit to seating Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee. Rep. Tabke is a DFLer that won a very close election in Shakopee, and this was a win that was upheld by a recount and a court decision. Republicans want to kick him out because they think they have a shot of winning that seat. That’s not OK.
- There is a special election taking place in March for House District 40B in Roseville. In the likely event that this special election reverts the House back to a tie, Republicans must agree to a power-sharing agreement that enacts the will of the voters.
Until we have assurances that the will of the voters will be respected, I’ll continue to do the work of a state representative right here in our community. It’s certainly not how I pictured the first few weeks of this job, and I’ll be ready to head to St. Paul the moment a deal is struck, but it has been nice to learn about our district’s needs in and around the places that are directly impacted. Coffee shops have served as my legislative offices, meeting with constituents like Meta to discuss legislation to support infertility treatment, or with local leaders like Minnetonka School Board member Dan Olson. |