Minnesota Senate reopens debate on Jan. 6 resolution; upholds chair on germaneness after unrelated amendments

The Minnesota Senate on April 1 reopened debate on Senate Resolution 15, a resolution directed at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and related presidential pardons, and denied efforts to broaden the measure with unrelated amendments.

Senators spent more than an hour debating the scope of the resolution after the chamber voted to take the matter from the table. Senator Murphy moved that Senate Resolution 15 be taken from the table; the motion prevailed and debate resumed. The author of the resolution identified it as a statement condemning the January 6 attack and related pardons.

The debate turned to procedure and scope after two minority-party senators offered amendments that members and the presiding officer ruled out of order as not germane to the resolution. Senator Gene Gruenhagen offered the A34 amendment, which would have added language condemning the Biden administration’s border policies and alleged harms tied to immigration enforcement. Senator Karin Weber offered the A17 amendment, which criticized a public remark by Governor Tim Walz about a particular stock and urged reproach because of the state’s investments. Both amendments were described on the floor as addressing matters outside the resolution’s stated subject.

Senators…