Minnesota House Democrats are no-shows amid legislative session’s bitter beginning
By Caroline Cummings
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ST. PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) — Half the Minnesota House stood empty on Tuesday when the state Legislature convened for its next session, after Democrats didn’t show up amid a bitter power dispute.
The partisan rift deepened over the last few weeks before they gaveled in. Republicans were present, but ultimately Democrats boycotted the first day of session as they said they would.
The move by the DFL caucus is in an effort to deny Republicans, through a parliamentary tactic, the chance to organize as a majority with the one-seat edge they have — at least for now. A once 67 to 67 tied chamber now favors the GOP due to a special election scheduled two weeks from now for a vacancy in a Roseville-area seat, following a judge’s ruling that he did not live in the district at the time of the election.
The DFL caucus took the unprecedented step on Sunday of holding a private swearing-in ceremony with their members at the Minnesota History Center out of public view in order to act on their plans of denying quorum — the minimum number of members needed to transact legislative business — on the first day.
Democrats and Republicans are at odds over what that threshold is and both accuse the other of illegitimate power grabs.
GOP Leader Lisa Demuth and Republicans condemned that step and she said it “tainted” 11th-hour negotiations of finding a power sharing agreement, which Democrats want in writing before they show up to the capitol.
“I think that is incredibly disrespectful to the constituents, to the voters and the people of Minnesota, and to the House of Representatives as an institution,” Demuth said.
DFL Leader Melissa Hortman said on WCCO Radio Tuesday that she and Demuth met until midnight as the Brooklyn Park Democrat tried to strike a deal with Republicans that they would honor once the power imbalance ends and a tie returns.
Despite a Tuesday morning meeting, the two sides did not find any agreement.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Senate is likely headed for a smooth start, after leaders in both parties struck a power-sharing deal after the death of DFL Sen. Kari Dziedizic late last month. That shifted the DFL’s one-seat majority to an equally split chamber. Their agreement has the DFL and GOP co-governing until someone else fills the seat following the special election in two weeks
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