Minnesota House leaders strike deal to end stalemate, begin work after weeks of delay
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The stalemate in the Minnesota House that has paralyzed the chamber for weeks ended Thursday, after leaders in both parties reached an agreement on how they will govern the rest of the year.
For the first time since the session began, the chamber was full instead of half empty.
Republican leader Lisa Demuth was elected speaker of the House, a position she will hold for the entire two-year term through 2026. Her appointment made history: she is the first Black woman to serve in the role.
That was part of the deal GOP and DFL leaders reached Wednesday night, which brought Democrats back to the capitol after they steered clear of the capitol for almost four weeks.
As part of it, Republicans will chair the committees at least for a month until a special election for a vacant seat in the Roseville area in mid-March, which could return the chamber to a tie. If the outcome yields an evenly split make-up of 67 to 67, DFLers and Republicans will share power on those panels, where legislation is discussed and vetted.
"The best negotiation is when not everyone walks out completely happy," said Speaker Demuth. "But the compromises that were made — having a Republican Speaker With very little limitations over the next two years — is a huge win for Republicans, is a huge win for the state of Minnesota."
DFL lawmakers had been boycotting to keep Republicans from acting on the one-seat edge they have due to the vacant seat. They didn't want the GOP to take control for two-years, even though their majority advantage may only be temporary.
Another sticking point for Democrats was the fate of Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, who won by just 14 votes. He prevailed in an election contest in court with missing ballots at the center of the case, but there were fears Republicans would unseat him because the constitution empowers the legislature to have the final say on the eligibility of its members.
The chamber is expected to have hearings related to that election contest in the House Ethics Committee, but that is as far as any proceeding will likely go — the panel is evenly split between both parties and any motion to advance the matter to a floor vote would end with a tie.
"This agreement honors and protects the will of the voters, both in Shakopee and statewide. That is what Democrats have been asking for from the beginning, and I'm pleased that this agreement does that," said Speaker emeritus Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park. "Given the situation we faced with Republicans looking to engage in an illegitimate power grab, Democrats made the difficult decision to deny quorum to protect the role of the voters, and we succeeded."
There will also be a new fraud and oversight committee that Republicans will lead for two years. Every member but two approved the resolution solidifying the agreement as soon as the chamber was organized Thursday afternoon.
The stalemate had brought the chamber to a halt, prohibiting lawmakers from advancing bills in a critical year. Passing the next two-year state budget is the top priority before the session ends. And they must delicately craft that spending plan since there is an estimated $5 billion deficit on the horizon if they aren't careful.
Both Republicans and Democrats projected confidence that they could move forward on a bipartisan basis to complete the work their constituents elected them to do, though they noted that tensions are still high.
"Leader Demuth and I had a very positive relationship from Nov. 5 through Dec. 20. Things got rocky on Dec. 23," Hortman recalled, speaking of power-sharing negotiations before those discussions collapsed following the court ruling in the Roseville-area district.. "Obviously, a lot has happened since Dec. 23. I think we'll be able to work together well, but it will take some time."
"Certainly everybody's still pretty angry at each other," she said.
Demuth, of Cold Spring, typically shies away from focusing on her race or gender, but said she recognized the historical significance of her ascension to speaker.
"I have always lived my life in a way that your merits should definitely be what drives the things that you do. And so I first want people to consider the fact that I'm qualified to do the job as speaker of the House," she said. "But I look forward to the day that it will no longer be a surprise or an unusual thing — that those coming behind me will be able to feel like there's no reason why they can't fill these same things if they have the qualifications and the merits that would bring them through."
The announcement of the deal came on the eve of a hearing before the Supreme Court in another case related to the power dispute. Republicans petitioned to postpone oral arguments, writing in a filing that their case would be moot if the House became organized.
But the court proceeded with the hearing Thursday morning anyway, though the attorneys representing both sides in the case suggested they would seek to dismiss the case later in the day.
The highest court had already ruled in a separate case related to quorum, which nullified the first few days of session when Republicans took control without Democrats there. It was after that decision that the chamber came to a standstill as no one was able to conduct any House business without a quorum present.
