No movement as Minnesota House stalemate reaches Day 15
Minnesota House DFL members boycotted the legislative session for a 15th day on Wednesday with no signs the stalemate with Republicans will end anytime soon.
There were no negotiations held on Wednesday and it’s unclear if the two sides will meet Thursday.
“I think we’re making progress,” DFL House Speaker-designate Rep. Melissa Hortman said on Tuesday. “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.”
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That optimistic tone didn’t come to fruition on Wednesday. Instead, House Republicans launched a website called DemsClockedOut.com, highlighting how long Democrats have stayed away from the Minnesota State Capitol and the fact they’re still getting paid their legislative salaries.
Ever since Monday, when DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon first adjourned the House with no quorum present, Republican leaders have said negotiations aren’t likely to get far until Democrats show up at the Capitol.
“People not showing up for work, taking a super-secret swear-in session two days earlier, is not helping with the trust and the ability to negotiate in good faith going forward,” Republican House Speaker-Designate Lisa Demuth said after Monday’s floor session. “I am hopeful that we will be able to get to a result. We will end this session on time with an agreement depending on whether or not Democrats ever do show up for work.”
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The two main sticking points continue to be the same.
One, whether Demuth will continue to be House speaker after the House is likely to return to a 67-67 tie after a special election in March.
The other is whether Republicans will try to block DFL Rep. Brad Tabke from taking office after he won a very close election in Scott County. Tabke prevailed in a recount and an election contest despite winning by just 14 votes in an election where 20 ballots were thrown away without being counted.