By – Jeff Tollefson, President & CEO of the Minnesota Technology Association

As much as I had hoped that the highly partisan political drama we’ve been experiencing in the Minnesota House of Representatives would have been resolved by now, sadly, that is not the case, as the stalemate between House Democrats and Republicans heads into its third week.

To catch readers up on what has transpired since my January 14th legislative update, the MN Supreme Court ruled last Friday that 68 members must be present to conduct business in the 134-member chamber. Republican leaders had taken the position that with a vacant seat in District 40B, their 67-66 majority constituted a quorum, and they proceeded to elect Rep. Lisa Demuth as Speaker of the House, held floor sessions, and set up committee sessions without DFL involvement. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling effectively nullified all actions taken by Republicans in the House since January 14th, putting us back to square one.

In an effort to end the DFL walk-out and return to the House chamber, DFL leaders offered a compromise whereby Republicans would control the House until the vacant District 40B seat was filled in a special election and then revert back to the previously agreed power-sharing agreement. This has not been accepted by Republican leaders, resulting in a continued stalemate despite last Friday’s ruling by the MN Supreme Court.

A key sticking point in negotiations is the seat held by DFL Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee. If you recall, Tabke was elected by just 14 votes in an election where 20 absentee ballots were lost. A Dakota County judge recently upheld Tabke’s victory, but Republicans have not yet committed that they would allow him to be seated, thus maintaining the Republican majority advantage. This is why Democrats are reluctant to show up without assurances that Tabke’s election and seat is duly recognized.

And while Democrats had planned for today to be the date of the special election for the District 40B seat (vacated when a court ruled that the DFL-backed winner of the November election didn’t meet residency requirements), the Supreme Court ruled against Gov. Walz’s call for the January 28th special election, further pushing back the timing of when Democrats can again claim a 67-67 tie to mid-March.

Does this mean that Democrats won’t show up for work in House chambers for another seven weeks? Could be. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and leaders on both sides of the aisle can reach a workable compromise and get back to the important work of passing a state budget before the session ends on May 19th.

And what about the Senate? Weren’t Democrats and Republicans playing nice together? Yep. Until yesterday.

The Senate GOP and DFL had been working in relative harmony after agreeing to a temporary power-sharing agreement until the seat of the late Sen. Kari Dziedzic is filled via a special election, which will again give the DFL a 37-36 majority. But yesterday, Republican leaders put forth a motion to expel DFL Sen. Nicolle Mitchell, claiming she abused her position as a senator to delay her trial for felony burglary. The trial, which was supposed to have started on Monday, was moved to the end of the session as Sen. Mitchell invoked her privilege as a legislator to not face trial during session.

Republican leaders claim Mitchell’s presence is a cloud hanging over the Senate and that she should be removed. Ironically, when asked if Republican President Trump, the first felon to serve as president, tarnishes the White House, Republican Senate leader Mark Johnson said he didn’t want to go down that path. DFL leaders say removing Sen. Mitchell before her trial denies her due process and disenfranchises her constituents from representation in the Senate.

In the end, the motion to expel Sen. Mitchell failed on procedural grounds as the motion was ruled out of order.

So, there you have it. The civility and promises of collaboration we saw in December have given way to sharply increased rancor and partisanship, calling into question whether all sides (including the Governor) can come to an agreement on a budget for the next biennium by May 19th. If I was a betting man, I’d put money on the need for an extended special session.

For MnTech, we’re still trying to navigate the waters of this choppy start and in my next bi-weekly legislative update, I’ll share more about specific bills we’re preparing to be introduced along with some of our broader 2025 legislative priorities. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at jeff@mntech.org with any questions or policy issues you would like to see us address.