By – Jeff Tollefson, President & CEO, MnTech

And we’re off! The 2025 legislative session kicked off at noon today and with no clear partisan majority in either the House and Senate, we enter uncharted territory as the power struggles between the DFL and Republican caucuses play out in the media and behind closed doors.

Here’s where we stand. Two years after DFL-elected officials began a legislative session with a governing trifecta (control of the House, Senate, and governor’s office) and driving a more progressive legislative agenda that increased the state budget by 38%, the election results of November 2024 resulted in a 67-67 split of the 134 seats in the House between DFL and Republican candidates and a narrow 34-33 advantage for the DFL in the Senate.

In December, House leaders from both parties announced a power-sharing agreement with equal representations on all committees and co-chairs from each party, giving hope that a higher level of bipartisanship and collaboration would be the new norm.

But what a difference a month makes. The rancor between the DFL and Republican caucuses has greatly elevated in recent weeks, particularly in the House, due to a number of events.

      • In the House, the seat of one of the DFL winners (Curtis Johnson in District 40B) was declared vacant after a judge ruled that he did not actually live in the district he was elected to represent, giving Republicans a 67-66 edge.
      • With this majority, GOP leader Lisa Demuth announced the power-sharing agreement was off the table, clearing the way for her to become sole Speaker of the House and Republican control of all committees. This would last for the next two years as it takes a majority vote to change leadership in the House.
      • With Gov. Walz calling for a special election to be held January 28th to fill the vacant House seat in a historically strong DFL district, DFL leaders offered to allow Republicans initial control until the vacant seat is filled, but then revert back to the original power-sharing agreement based on the expected 67-67 tie post-election. This was rejected by the Republican caucus.
      • In response, DFL leader Melissa Hortman instructed her DFL caucus to not show up today to convene the session, resulting in a lack of quorum as it requires a majority of legislators in attendance, which Secretary of State Simon has ruled as being 68 members. Upon completing the roll call with just 67 members present, Simon immediately adjourned the session.
      • Undeterred by the Secretary of State’s adjournment, the 67 members of the GOP caucus pushed forward with their agenda to convene based on their belief that their 67-66 advantage constitutes a majority. They unanimously elected Rep. Lisa Demuth as Speaker of the House, an action that will undoubtedly be challenged and likely end up in front of the state Supreme Court.
      • And that special election scheduled for January 28th to fill the District 40B seat? Republicans challenged Gov. Walz’s action in December to call a special election for that date, claiming he violated state law in doing so. Statutes say the Governor may only issue a writ calling for a special election 22 days after the first day of the legislative session if a vacancy exists. Republicans passed a resolution in today’s contested session to start the clock on the writ of special election, which would move the District 40B election into February, further delaying the DFL’s ability to achieve a 67-67 tie.
      • GOP leaders are also questioning the validity of the election of DFL Rep. Tabke in Shakopee which was decided by just 14 votes. At issue are 20 ballots that were mistakenly tossed by election officials, causing Republicans to call for a re-vote. This morning, a judge upheld Tabke’s election but that doesn’t necessarily mean GOP leaders will vote to seat him if they maintain their claimed majority power.
      • And if that’s not enough, on Sunday House DFL members secretly gathered at the History Center and had a retired judge swear them into office. While state law says members are sworn in after convening (with appropriate quorum) on the first day of the session, DFL leaders have taken a position that this is not required. Republicans were clearly unhappy with the ploy, further exacerbating the lack of trust and partisanship between the two parties.

What a mess. It will be interesting to see whether House leaders can put aside their differences and focus on the necessary work to get a budget passed before the end of the state’s fiscal year on June 30th, or risk yet another state government shutdown.

Fortunately, cooler heads have prevailed in the Senate as caucus leaders announced on Sunday that they came to an agreement around a power-sharing agreement. This includes a co-chair model and equal representation on committees given the current 33-33 seat tie. The Senate DFL has a vacancy due to the recent passing of Senator Kari Dziedzic and there is a special election scheduled for January 28th to fill that seat. And with the felony trial for Sen. Nicole Mitchell, who was arrested on burglary charges last year after breaking into her stepmother’s home, scheduled to begin next week and her legal team asking to delay the trial until May, it adds yet another layer of complexity as to whether the power-sharing agreement is temporary or continues on through the session.

So as you can see, there is no shortage of chaos and uncertainty as Minnesota’s elected officials kick-off the 2025 legislative session. Buckle up for what should be a wild ride!

I’ll be writing bi-weekly blog posts on what’s going on at the Capitol and issues of importance and impact to MnTech member companies and our innovation economy at large. My next post will address key MnTech legislative priorities for the year, but let me first share our overall approach to public policy initiatives.

In advancing our public policy agenda, MnTech is guided by the following principles:

      • We develop, support, and advocate for public policy that promotes the long-term growth, sustain¬ability, and global competitiveness of Minnesota’s technology-based economy.
      • We believe strong, consistent, focused leadership from the private sector, working in collaboration with academic, nonprofit and government partners, is the critical link in driving our state’s devel¬opment and recognition as a global technology leader.
      • We advocate for policies that strengthen Minnesota’s science and technology workforce, as well as those that leverage technology to increase government efficiency and improve and sustain Minnesota’s infrastructure.
      • We support policies and practices that build a diverse and robust tech talent pipeline, working in collaboration with tech industry leaders, education and training partners, government agencies and community-based organizations to attract and retain talent in the tech industry.

MnTech will sponsor, support and/or respond to legislation that furthers these principles and encourage engagement around the development of tech related legislation. Additionally, we will respond to issues and potential legislation that affect member companies and technology businesses in Minnesota as they arise.

If you have issues of concern that you would like MnTech to weigh in on, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at jeff@mntech.org.