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House Republican says 16-day DFL absence is blocking work; committees meeting unofficially
Summary
An unnamed House Republican representative told reporters the Minnesota House has been disrupted by a 16-day absence of Democrats, saying bill introductions were negated by a Supreme Court decision and that committees are meeting informally while records and testimony await restoration.
An unnamed House Republican representative said the Minnesota House has entered its 16th day of Democratic absences, which the speaker said is preventing the body from introducing bills and carrying out formal business.
The representative told reporters that "we're on day 16, unfortunately, with Democrats not showing up for work" and that the absences — described as 66 members not attending — were costing taxpayers and blocking the House from organizing committees and completing bill introductions. The representative added that House Republicans were continuing to meet with constituents and interest groups and holding committee sessions informally to work through line-item budgets.
The speaker said a recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision "negated all of the work that had been done, including bill introductions," and that House information technology staff were working to preserve the historical record. "All of the video from the actual committee hearings, all of the bills, everything should be available, hopefully, sooner rather than later," the representative said.
The representative said Democrats had taken the matter to the Supreme Court and that some rank-and-file Democrats had privately expressed frustration with the walkout. "There is a place for anyone that would want to come in and start getting to the work," the representative said, adding that if even a single Democrat returned and served as an independent there would be options to resume organized business.
Reporters asked whether there had been direct talks with DFL leadership; the representative said there were no discussions with Representative Hortman on the day of the press event and that Representative Long had not reached out. The representative said members had engaged in member-to-member conversations and that committee chairs retained relationships with some Democrat leads despite the standoff.
On access to committee meetings, the representative said the unofficial sessions were not open to the public because "we really don't have the mechanism to make that happen," but that invitations had been extended to state agencies to present information that had been previously delayed. The representative also said bill authors retained copies of their bills and were working to redo introductions as required by the court ruling.
The representative repeatedly framed the situation as a matter of attendance and duty, saying, "Minnesotans are counting on us to do the work, so it has to be done." No formal motions or votes were reported during the press exchange.
Context: the speaker referred to a special election in Roseville and to Secretary of State Simon's role in recognizing the House, saying the secretary had "unconstitutionally refused to recognize us for" a motion the Republicans submitted to the desk. The representative said school district officials had provided testimony about financial challenges tied to recent mandates and that those testimonies were part of the records awaiting public access.
Looking ahead, the representative urged absent members to return and said House Republicans were prepared to resume organized business if DFL members came back. No formal agreements, motions, or votes were announced at the event.
