Minnesota House DFL, GOP strike agreement to end stalemate
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A nearly four-week standoff in the Minnesota House was headed toward an end Thursday under a deal that gives Republicans working control of the floor and committees for at least a month but allows Democrats to gain a foothold if an election restores a tie.
The deal struck Wednesday should result in the House convening with both parties present and enough members to conduct official business. Leaders held press conferences — one for each party — to discuss the deal. That setup illustrates that there is still some institutional repair to be done.
“It’s like the first day of school, finally,” said DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman, her party’s leader as she returned to the Capitol on Thursday morning. She said DFLers would be on the floor later in the day.
While Hortman said there will be lingering anger and said member of the parties are “suspicious” about the other holding up the terms, she stressed that their ability to reach agreement shouldn’t be minimized.
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She said it will be “a golden opportunity to show that bipartisan governing can work. And even though we had these rough few weeks, we have an opportunity to really show Minnesotans that we can govern together in a collaborative way.”
The deal, signed by the negotiators, gives Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth the path to become House speaker for the entire two-year term. There would be some conditions on her authority.
“The best negotiations are when not everyone walks away completely happy,” Demuth said, calling the agreement a “huge win” for her party and the state. “We have a lot of work to get done.”
Both leaders promised they’d work toward passing an on-time budget within the confines of the regular legislative session, which ends by law on May 19 this year.
Demuth echoed Hortman in saying “we are going to need to mend fences.”
Republicans will have control over committees while their party has 67 members to the DFL’s 66 members. That would give way to shared control of panels if Democrats win a March 11 special election and the new member is seated sometime around St. Patrick’s Day.
The one exception would be a new fraud oversight committee, where Republicans would have more members — a five to three advantage — but not unlimited power. They wouldn’t have ability to subpoena records or witnesses without cooperation of at least one committee Democrat.
Committee hearings will begin Monday. Demuth said there would be a full slate of bills lined up for quick consideration in coming weeks.
DFL Rep. Brad Tabke, who won a narrow election, would not have his seating challenged. But the agreement won’t stop additional scrutiny into his race that went to trial over an election administration problem that resulted in 20 ballots being discarded prior to counting. Any vote to remove a member would require at least 68 votes in favor, Hortman said.
Staff complements for the two caucuses will be equal.
The House has been unable to convene as Democrats have boycotted since the Jan. 14 session start and Republicans couldn’t muster the 68 members to conduct business.
The agreement stemmed from closed-door talks. It should allow the House to organize on Thursday when it meets in the afternoon.
The agreement wasn’t reached in time head off another Minnesota Supreme Court showdown. Lawyers in a case had asked to postpone a Thursday morning hearing in the latest lawsuit over the stalemate.
“Under these unusual circumstances we are proceeding with oral argument,” Chief Justice Natalie Hudson said, noting that attorneys for Secretary of State Steve Simon declined to seek a delay.
Hudson asked lawyers to address whether a decision should be deferred.
Republicans have been seeking a pathway to punish Democrats over their holdout.
Demuth, R-Cold Spring, and Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, have been leading the private talks but other members have been brought in to help mediate a solution.
The issues had been a sticking point for weeks as the leaders prepared to begin the 2025 legislative session. A Minnesota Supreme Court ruling in January formally set the standard for a quorum — the threshold for the chamber to do its business — at 68 votes.
Republicans hold 67 seats to 66 for the DFL. A special election on March 11 will determine if there is a tie or if Republicans have an outright majority.
The court cases helped drive leaders back to the table for discussions. Democrats were seeking assurances that if the House is tied that there would be joint control and they wanted a guarantee that Republicans wouldn’t try to remove Tabke, a DFLer who won his Shakopee race in November by 14 votes. It was upheld in both a recount and after a trial when a judge issued an advisory opinion saying it would have been impossible for the Republican challenger to overtake him.
Republicans wanted Democrats to recognize that they have more votes right now and should be able to run committee hearings and floor debates until circumstances change.
Lawmakers have about four months left in the legislative session to write a two-year budget and advance other policies that arise as priorities.