Minnesota Senate goes home without votes on commissioners

The Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate has adjourned its special session without a planned vote on confirming two of Gov. Tim Walz’s commissioners.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says GOP senators were ready Wednesday to approve Sarah Strommen as commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources and Dean Compart as president of the Board of Animal Health.

The GOP majority appeared to be poised Tuesday to remove Laura Bishop as commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency before she resigned. To voice their objections, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent moved successfully Wednesday to end the special session without votes on the other commissioners.

"I think the way this issue of commissioners being brought up on an ad hoc basis because they get sideways with the majority party on an issue of policy is counter to the best wishes of the people of Minnesota," Kent said in making her motion.

DFL Sen. Erin Murphy compared Republican threats to reject commissioners to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol, saying Republicans are trying to "destabilize" government.

"Yesterday was not a test about the credentials of a commissioner, but instead an extension of a party that wants to dismantle and discredit and destabilize a government that is meant to serve the people," Murphy said during the Senate floor debate.

Gazelka said there were simpler reasons for opposing Bishop as MPCA commissioner, saying the GOP opposed her preference to impose "clean car" standards on Minnesota auto dealers, forcing them to carry more electric vehicles than demand would warrant. Gazelka said they also opposed Bishop having the MPCA join a lawsuit in Michigan he claimed would hurt Minnesota’s taconite industry in northern Minnesota.

"Frankly, members, there were a lot of reasons why we were concerned about how she performed as a commissioner and it wasn’t suddenly at the last moment," Gazelka said on the Senate floor. "This had been ongoing for a while."

While DFL senators criticize the GOP majority of abusing the "advice and consent" provision regarding gubernatorial appointments in the Minnesota Constitution, both parties have used the power to reject commissioners over the past 21 years. Democrats rejected a commissioner in 2000 (Steve Minn/Commerce and Public Service), 2004 (Cheri Yecke/Education) and 2008 (Carol Molnau/Transportation). Republicans have rejected two commissioners in the past year, Steve Kelley at Commerce and Nancy Leppink in the Department of Labor and Industry. Laura Bishop resigned from her MPCA post before a Senate vote.

In the 65 years prior to Minn’s rejection in 2000, no cabinet members had been rejected.