The DFL’s three-week boycott of the legislative session will come to an end this week after party leaders agreed on terms for organizing the Minnesota House.
Party leaders announced Wednesday night that a deal had been reached but did not disclose any details. However, sources told Alpha News that the deal will make Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth of Cold Spring speaker of the House for the two-year term.
Additionally, the sources said Republicans will have control of all House committees through a March 11 special election and will retain a majority for two years on a new fraud and oversight committee.
“The Democrats completely capitulated and that says a lot. They were losing in public perception,” said Rep. Pam Altendorf, R-Red Wing. “Most people can’t relate to not going to work and still demanding pay.”
The March special election will fill a vacancy created after Democrat Curtis Johnson was ruled ineligible by a judge to take the oath of office because he didn’t live in the district he was elected to represent. The ruling shattered an expected 67-67 tie in the Minnesota House and gave Republicans a one-seat advantage, at least temporarily, which they said they would use to elect a speaker and take control of the chamber.
As such, Democrats boycotted when the legislative session kicked off on Jan. 14 and said they wouldn’t return to work until Republicans agreed to a power-sharing arrangement. By not showing up, the Democrats were attempting to deny the GOP a quorum and argued that Republicans were refusing to recognize the will of the voters.
Republicans carried on with their work anyway, but then the Minnesota Supreme Court sided with the Democrats, ruling that 68 members, not 67, are needed for a quorum. This prevented Republicans from organizing the chamber on their own.
As a result, Republicans attempted to compel the attendance of absent Democrats but were prevented from doing so by Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon, who has been temporarily presiding over the chamber during the feud.
Simon and the Republicans were set to appear before the Supreme Court Thursday morning in a lawsuit related to that matter until the agreement was announced.
Also at issue was the election of DFL Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee, who won his election by 14 votes in a race where officials admitted to losing 20 ballots. A judge, however, ruled that there was no need for a new election because six of the 20 voters identified by election officials testified that they voted for Tabke.
Democrats were concerned that Republicans would refuse to seat Tabke should they return to the chamber. The deal reached Wednesday will allow Democrats to block efforts to unseat Tabke, the sources said.
Republicans are scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday morning to discuss the details of the agreement.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
