Weekly legislative update – Feb. 5

The House GOP and DFL caucus leadership reached a co-governing agreement, effectively ending the stalemate in the short term and ensuring that the quorum will continue until adjournment in May.  

The details of the agreement include giving the House GOP the speakership for the biennium, with Speaker Lisa Demuth making history as the first woman Speaker from the Republican caucus and the first-ever person of color to be elected as the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. 

Effective Thursday, the GOP will also control committees with a one-vote majority, reflective of their 67-66 advantage. If the result of the special election for HD 40B results in a 67-67 split in the MN House, all but one committee will revert to a co-chair model and committees will have equal partisan memberships. That arrangement would take effect on March 17. Until then, House GOP can move bills through committees and schedule votes on the House floor with the caveat that 68 votes (i.e. one DFLer) would be needed to pass anything out of the chamber. 

One new committee is exempted from the reversion to equal partisan representation if there is a 67-67 split; the House Committee on Fraud and State Agency Oversight. This committee will remain in GOP control for the biennium and will comprise of 5 GOP members and 3 DFL members. From initial reports, this committee will have broad jurisdiction to review whether state agencies are doing enough to prevent and combat fraud in public programs. 

Finally, the House GOP has agreed to not unseat Rep. Brad Tabke. The House Ethics Committee will hold a hearing to review of the issues emanating from the election and the court case.