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Minnesota senator moves resolution to remove Senate president; measure referred to rules committee after roll call
Summary
Sen. Drazkowski introduced a resolution seeking the immediate removal of Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, citing alleged ethics violations and conflicts tied to nonprofit funding. Senators debated procedure and recusal requests before voting to send the resolution to the Rules Committee.
Sen. Josh Drazkowski introduced a resolution on the Senate floor asking the chamber to remove Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, citing Senate rules and the Minnesota statutes that govern internal legislative office removal. “Be resolved by the senate of the state of Minnesota, and pursuant to Minnesota statutes section 3.06 subdivision 1, the senate president Bobby Joe Champion be removed as senate president, and that the removal be effective immediately upon adoption of this resolution,” Drazkowski read on the floor.
Drazkowski said the resolution responds to recent reporting and an ethics complaint alleging that President Champion steered public grant funding to nonprofits tied to contributors to his campaigns. He cited Senate Rule 56 and the Senate policies for senators and staff, saying the rules require disclosure of potential conflicts and conduct “free from improper influences.”
Several senators raised procedure and time-limit questions during the debate. Senator Lats (point of order) and others questioned whether Drazkowski had exceeded debate limits; the chair sustained a point of order during the exchange. Multiple senators who serve on the Senate Ethics Committee asked to be excused from the roll-call vote because of their committee roles or potential conflicts; those motions to be recused were granted by voice vote.
Senators also debated referral procedure. After an appeal of the chair and a roll-call on the appeal, the Senate recorded a roll-call vote that the presiding officer said resulted in sustaining the president’s ruling. Following that, pursuant to Senate Rule 6.3 the body voted to refer Senate Resolution No. 35 to the Committee on Rules and Administration; the motion to refer was not debatable and carried without roll call.
Because the referral removes the resolution from immediate consideration by the full body, the Rules Committee will now schedule further hearings or action.
