House Organizes (Finally!)

After more than three weeks of Democrat members boycotting session to deny quorum and multiple lawsuits playing out in the Court system, the DFL and GOP leaders of the Minnesota House of Representatives penned an agreement on Wednesday night regarding organization of the House. Key points of the agreement, which was approved by the entire body (during the first official session with a quorum!), include:

  • Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) will be Speaker for the entire biennium (no co-Speaker);
  • Representative Brad Tabke (DFL-Shakopee) will be seated, but his election will be reviewed by the House Ethics Committee;
  • Republicans will chair committees until the House reaches a 67-67 tie (expected by approximately March 17), at which point committees will have co-chairs;
  • All committees will have equal party representation, but the DFL will designate one member of each committee as a non-voting member until the House is tied, at which point they will be able to vote; and
  • The one exception to the above committee structure is a newly created committee on fraud, which will have a 5-3 Republican majority and a Republican Chair for the duration of the biennium.

The House officially gaveled in at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday (2/6), with committees set to begin holding hearings as early as 8:15 a.m. on Monday morning.

Senate Reorganizes

 As we mentioned last week, the Senate has a new member, Doron Clark (DFL-Minneapolis), who was sworn in on Monday, returning the Senate DFL to a 34-33 majority. As expected, that same day the Senate voted to end its power-sharing agreement with Senate Republicans, and Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) was re-elected as Majority Leader. Additionally, committees were re-structured to provide a DFL majority and a DFL chair for each. Despite the formal change, many DFL chairs continued to allow Republicans to lead committee work.

House Special Election Scheduled

A special election to fill the vacant seat in the House of Representatives has been set for Tuesday, March 11. If needed, a primary election will be held on Tuesday, February 25. This vacancy was created when newly-elected Curtis Johnson was declared ineligible to represent District 40B (located primarily in the Roseville/Shoreview area) due to residency concerns. The winner of the special election will likely be sworn in on Monday, March 17.

February Forecast Date Set

Each biennium, the Legislature anxiously awaits the release of the state’s February Budget Forecast. The office of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) releases two economic forecasts each year, one in February and one in November. The November forecast serves as a preview to the February forecast and provides parameters for the Governor’s administration to make initial budget recommendations for the coming year. The February Forecast is the document that the Legislature must use to craft a balanced budget. The February Forecast is scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 6. According to MMB, “the February forecast announcement is scheduled about a week later than usual this year due to a later-than-usual release of key federal employment data.”

Sports Betting is Back

A bipartisan proposal to legalize sports betting has returned, and advocates are hopeful that this is the year it will finally pass. While the issue has been at the forefront of many voter’s minds for years, finding agreement among a diverse group of stakeholders has proven difficult. In the waning days of last year’s legislative session, it seemed that an agreement may have been reached, but the legislation still did not pass. S.F. 757, authored by Sen. Matt Klein, picks up where that bill left off. Along with introducing the bill, Sen. Klein had an opinion piece published in The Minnesota Star Tribune in which he stated: “[m]y bill is the only one that brings together all stakeholders; tribes, tracks, sports teams, legislators and the public.”

February 7, 2025