MN GOP announces recall petitions against House DFL members as weeks-long boycott continues
Republican leaders on Tuesday announced recall petitions for every single House DFL member as Democrats boycott the Minnesota capitol for a third straight week.
According to Republicans, a recall process is officially underway, saying they’re collecting signatures across the state as House Democrats collect salaries despite not showing up for work. They are working to collect 25 signatures per seat.
The GOP says they anticipate filing the petitions by next Monday. The Supreme Court would then need to decide if there are grounds for a recall — thousands of signatures would then be needed.
The GOP says they want to get down to business, while Democrats say they won’t show up until a power-sharing agreement is in place.
A special election still needs to take place to decide the balance of power.
Last month, the Minnesota Supreme Court sided with the DFL, saying that 68 members are needed to do official business. Currently, there are only 67 Republican members, so the House remains at a standstill.
“People not showing up for work, taking a super-secret swear-in session two days earlier is not helping with the trust and ability to negotiate in good faith going forward,” said Rep. Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring).
“Failure is not an option. So, we’ll keep meeting until we have an agreement, and we can get going and my hope is that will happen this week,” said Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Champlin).
Another House session is set for 3:30 p.m.