Two years of getting steamrolled by Democrats who control the Minnesota House and Senate resulted in an eruption of chaos in the final hour of the 2024 legislative session.

With time running short, Democrats in the House and Senate decided to combine multiple bills on different subjects into one massive tax bill.

“This is a bill to finance state government and includes the following conference committee reports and bills,” said DFL House Majority Leader Jamie Long as he introduced the bill. 

It included provisions regarding transportation (including the rideshare bill regarding Uber and Lyft), housing, labor, higher education, gun safety, agriculture, paid family leave and taxes. Republicans objected to the massive bill they didn’t have copies of to review.

“Madam Speaker, the minority has the right to be heard under our rules, but the majority also has a right to govern,” Long said as Republican lawmakers began to yell, make motions and protest the maneuver. 

“Point of order!” one lawmaker yelled. “Omnibus bill without debate? The grand theft omnibus bill!”

The complaints and deafening protests continued for ten minutes. “Madam Speaker! Madam Speaker! I move we adjourn sine die! That is a non-debatable motion!” But all the pleas and motions were ignored.

Minutes later after the bill passed the House, a similar cacophony broke out on the Senate floor when the 2,860-page bill was introduced there just a half hour before the midnight deadline. “Point of order! Follow the rules, Mr. President!” Republican senators yelled at Senate President Bobby Joe Champion.

Ultimately, the omnibus bill passed just before the midnight deadline. However, a bill that would have paid cash for some state building projects that had passed the House failed to pass the Senate before the midnight deadline. So there was no cash for projects and no borrowing in a bonding bill for state building projects.

Afterward, House and Senate leaders of both parties addressed the spectacle that marked the end of the tumultuous session. “I had to do what I had to do to get the bills across the finish line,” said DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman. 

“2,860 pages that were not available to any member in the chamber,” decried Republican House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth. ” Demuth says she filed an ethics complaint against Hortman for violating rules of the House by ignoring Republican motions on the floor.

“I just feel gross coming off that Senate floor today,” said Republican Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson.

While many DFL priorities did become law, there was no agreement again on legalizing sports betting many Republicans and Democrats both wanted. Although an equal rights amendment bill passed the House, the Senate ran out of time to take it up.