Minnesota Representatives strike chamber control deal, end three-week stalemate

[MUSIC PLAYING] NINA MOINI: Our top story, this afternoon at 3:30 today, the full Minnesota House of Representatives is expected to gavel in for the first time this year, with enough members to actually do business. For more than three weeks, Republicans and Democrats have been stuck in a dispute over chamber control. A deal struck last night and outlined today will put Republican Representative Lisa Demuth in the speaker's chair but give Democrats some of what they wanted.

Joining me to explain what's in the agreement and what it means for the state is MPR News reporter Peter Cox. Thanks for joining us, Peter.

PETER COX: Hi, Nina.

NINA MOINI: So it's been several weeks of this impasse. What's different this time? And how did lawmakers manage to finally reach a deal yesterday?

PETER COX: Yeah. So after the last Supreme Court hearing on quorum a couple of weeks ago, that really seemed to amp up pressure on a deal needing to be made. Republicans didn't have enough members or a quorum to do their work on their own. And the session pretty much was ground to a standstill. Up until then, they'd been holding floor sessions and committee hearings as Democrats continued their boycott.

Democrats seemed ready to hold out until a special election is held in a heavily DFL district in March that they expect will tie the chamber. But talks were going on behind the scenes the whole time. And they finally got an agreement done yesterday.

NINA MOINI: So what did House Republicans get out of the deal?

PETER COX: Well, they got the speakership. And that's a big one. Republican House Leader Lisa Demuth is expected to be sworn in as speaker this afternoon. And she will hold on to that position for two years under the agreement, regardless of the outcome of a March special election that if won by Democrats, would tie the chamber.

Now, Demuth's speakership does come with some limitations, including the pacing of certain bills. But the speaker is a powerful figure. They can rule on motions, disputes, and other things.

For the time being, Republicans will hold all the gavels, actually. More than two dozen committees will be led by the GOP and have a Republican majority. They'll have that edge until that special election. If Democrats win that seat, the two parties will then cochair most committees. But under the deal, a new committee on fraud prevention and state agency oversight will be formed. And Republicans will have a one-seat majority on that committee through 2026.

NINA MOINI: OK. And what's in it for the House Democrats?

PETER COX: So one of the big sticking points for House Democrats was having Brad Tabke seated in the House. Tabke won a tight race in his Shakopee district. But there was some question about whether Republicans would seat him, given the close race he was in. He won by just 14 votes. And 20 ballots or absentee ballots were tossed out before counting. While both election judges and a district court judge have upheld his win, Republicans have not been ready to concede his seat.

Under the agreement, he will be allowed to take office. A House panel will be permitted to scrutinize the election under the deal. But Tabke is unlikely to be at risk. They also get assurance of coequal committees if they pull even in that House race.

NINA MOINI: All right. So at 3:30 today, like we mentioned off the top, Lisa Demuth will likely be elected House speaker. And what will be the significance of that move?

PETER COX: So Demuth, who is Black, will be the first person of color to ever hold that position in the Minnesota House. She'll also be the first woman to hold the position for House Republicans. She was asked about that during a press conference earlier today.

LISA DEMUTH: Being a Black woman and having the opportunity to serve as the first person of color and the first female Republican speaker of the House is an absolute honor. I have always lived my life in a way that your merits should definitely be what drives the things that you do.

NINA MOINI: So in the shorter term, Peter, what can Republicans do with the committee control that they're going to hold on to, at least until that special election you mentioned in March, March 11?

PETER COX: Yeah. So, Nina, they'll be able to push ahead bills. There are 300 or so that they plan to introduce today. Committee hearings will begin on Monday. So expect a rapid pace. Republicans don't have enough votes to pass bills on their own. That will take 68 votes. But this will let them set the agenda and command attention for issues most dear to them. There are bills they'll push forward that might be tough for swing district Democrats to oppose.

NINA MOINI: And you mentioned this briefly earlier. The Supreme Court of Minnesota heard arguments this morning in a case that relates to this dispute over the control of the House. What's going on with that case?

PETER COX: Yeah. So with the agreement, it wasn't clear this morning if the case would move forward. Lawyers for House Republicans who had filed the lawsuit asked to postpone the hearing. But the court asked to go ahead with oral arguments. And at the center of this was the power of the temporary presiding officer, Secretary of State Steve Simon. He had declined to let any members make motions without a quorum. And Republicans thought he should have let them try to force Democrats back into the chamber.

While the court held arguments, it's possible they don't issue a decision. If Democrats wind up in the house today, which is expected, the case could be moot. But there are some important future questions involved. And the questions from-- and the questions from justices today got into those.

NINA MOINI: Wow, Peter. So much has been going on just leading up to people just wanting action and people to be doing their jobs. What are the two parties saying about their willingness to work together from here on out?

PETER COX: Yeah. Both parties held their own press conferences this morning. And the two sides still seem to be harboring a lot of hard feelings from this. While they struck a deal, they were both very critical of the other party. Both sides blamed each other for taking so long to reach a deal.

But in order to get anything done, numbers wise, they'll have to work together. For anything to pass, as I noted earlier, they have to have at least 68 votes, which means there will need to be at least some bipartisanship.

There's plenty of talk on both sides today about understandable anger and maybe even mistrust. But they joked about doing no shenanigans handshakes to try to put this all behind them. We'll see soon enough if they can do that.

NINA MOINI: Lawmakers do need to pass a two-year budget for the state this session. Do they have time to get that done with these first three weeks having gone the way they did?

PETER COX: Well, DFL Caucus Leader Melissa Hortman says they believe they'll have time to get that done. She says the forecaster for the state's budget economic data will not be completed until March 6. And that data really gives the state the final numbers used to put together the budget. She expects that would mean the governor's final budget proposal won't be on their desks until March 19. So they'll have time to look at that later this session. But the session wraps up on May 19. So there's plenty to do in that time.

NINA MOINI: Two months. Thanks so much for the update, Peter.

PETER COX: You're welcome.

NINA MOINI: Peter Cox is a reporter for NPR News.