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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Walz calls special session with lots of work in short timeframe
The Brief Gov. Walz has called for a special session on Monday, three weeks after the regular session ended without a complete budget agreement. Republicans' push to cut undocumented adults out of MN Care will travel in a standalone bill, not in the health bill. But the health bill will include a provision that the Department of Health gets no funding if the standalone bill doesn't become law. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - It took 18 days, but Minnesota finally has a special session scheduled to finish a budget and avoid a government shutdown. One and only Monday is the big day and, if things go as planned, the only day. Legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz hammered out some details on what they said were the hardest bills to hash for instance, the Republican plan to cut MN Care for undocumented adults will be a standalone bill, not in the health the health bill will include language saying the Department of Health gets no funding unless that standalone bill and guarantees like that have them very close to the finish line. Short timeline House leaders Lisa Demuth and Melissa Hortman walked to the podium together Friday, poised to start a sprint to the finish line.A signed agreement shows the 14 bills they plan to pass in 21 hours starting Monday at 10 a.m., including a new bill and another previously on life support. "There will be a standalone data center bill and there will a bonding bill and so since some of those pieces came together pretty late last night," said Speaker Emerita Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park). Data centers will lock in some tax breaks for 35 years in exchange for losing an exemption on electricity. In total, the 2026-27 budget will cut about $5 billion from the last two years and leave almost a $2 billion surplus. Getting there hasn't come easy. "You'll hear that not everybody is happy about every part of it, and that's to be expected," said Speaker of the House Demuth (R-Cold Spring). Winds of change? And the bills could still change. County commissioners blasted the transportation agreement Friday for taking half their regional sales tax proceeds and giving it to the Met Council for Bus Rapid Transit projects. "I truly feel at multiple levels our partnership between the state and the local government is being betrayed and broken," said Scott County Commissioner Jody Brennan. Amendments are still possible, but all four legislative leaders and Gov. Walz would have to agree on any changes from now on."As far as other land mines, there could always be, but I feel confident in the agreements that we have," said Demuth. The special session agreement calls for them to get everything done in one day, which technically means they can go until 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Leaders say they can get it done, but it's possible they'll still need more time, which would bring about a whole new set of problems. Delayed for now Because a government shutdown would be 21 days away, furlough notices are supposed to go out to every non-essential state worker on Monday. But legislative leaders and the governor are working with unions to push that back a day.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers play blame game as session comes to end without major budget bills
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, tells reporters her mouth is "full of cuss words" over the budget impasse on the last day of the legislative session on May 19, 2025. (Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer) Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, threw the first stone on Monday morning, telling reporters that the Legislature wasn't close to finishing its work on the last day of the legislative session because House Republicans were demanding ever more concessions, in violation of a global agreement reached last week. 'My mouth is full of cuss words right now,' Murphy said. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, blamed House Democrats, who refused to show up for the first few weeks of session so Republicans couldn't use their temporary, 1-vote advantage to block a Democrat from being seated in a hotly contested election. 'Waiting 23 days of a stall out was not helpful,' Demuth said. The blame game was in full force on Monday as it became apparent that lawmakers might not even stay at the Capitol until midnight, an unofficial tradition on the constitutionally mandated last day of the session, because there'd be no budget bills ready to debate. 'I think we'll run out of things to do this evening,' said House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park. The Legislature has only passed seven, mostly noncontroversial bills out of some 20 bills in process, with the biggest pieces of legislation still outstanding, including the budgets for education, taxes, and health and human services. There haven't even been legislators assigned to hammer out agreements between the House and Senate in what are known as conference committees — a blend of representatives and senators of both parties — on education finance and taxes. Education alone comprises roughly 40% of the general fund budget. Lawmakers must pass a budget by June 30, or the government shuts down. Walz and lawmakers hope they can keep working on compromises on the most contentious issues and get to final deals, which would set the parameters for a quick special session, ideally before the Memorial Day holiday. Only Gov. Tim Walz can call a special session, but only lawmakers can adjourn once they're in a special session. While the governor and legislative leaders announced a global budget agreement last week, what exactly it entailed now seems to be up for debate. The governor and legislative leaders only released a single page with budget targets for state agencies, but no written record of their agreements on policy. Leaders said paid family leave would remain unchanged except for a 0.1% reduction in the cap on payroll taxes. Now, deeper cuts are back on the table. 'There is bipartisan desire to make additional changes to paid family medical leave before it even rolls out. That was not part of the global agreement,' Demuth said, noting support from DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger for cuts to the program set to launch next year. Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, reiterated to reporters that he never signed the global budget agreement on behalf of his caucus. 'We're not subject or held to that agreement,' Johnson said. 'We are going to fight to the very end.' Progressive Democrats seemed to have backed down from threatening to hold up budget bills over rolling back access to MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrant adults, which was part of the global agreement. Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, said on Saturday that the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus and their allies don't plan to shut down government over that bill. With so much left to do and the Legislature no longer officially in session as of midnight, the negotiations will happen mostly outside of the public's eye in 'working groups.' Asked if the public would be able to watch the working groups debate the state's next two year budget, Murphy said she was 'very interested' in them working in public if she could get agreement from the other body.
Boston Globe
12-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Democrat David Gottfried easily wins Minnesota House special election, restoring a 67-67 power split
Advertisement The parties reached a new power-sharing agreement in February that assumed Democrats would win the special election and restore the tie. Under the terms of the deal, Republican Lisa Demuth will remain House speaker for the next two years. Once Gottfried is sworn in, the two parties will have even strength on most committees, with cochairs who will take turns holding the gavel, except for an oversight committee that Republicans will control to investigate fraud in government programs. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate. Given the tie in the House, some degree of bipartisan cooperation will be required to get the 68 votes needed to pass the big budget measures to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Updated budget projections released last Thursday suggested difficult negotiations ahead. The projected surplus for the next two-year budget slipped to $456 million, while the projected deficit for the two years after that grew to $6 billion. Gottfried's 40-point margin of victory exceeded Johnson's 30-point win in November. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris carried the district with 68% of the vote over President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. Gottfried said his win is a victory for the voters in his district, who haven't been represented in the House since the session convened in January. 'The President is sowing chaos that is increasing the price of basic needs like food, energy, and healthcare,' Gottfried said in a statement. 'It's never been more urgent that we work together in Saint Paul to shield Minnesotans from the chaos, lower the cost of prescription drugs, and make a smart plan to protect our shared futures in Minnesota.' Advertisement House Democratic Caucus leader Melissa Hortman said Gottfried's win confirms that they'll be working under the power-sharing agreement they negotiated with House Republicans. 'Democrats have been ready to work in a bipartisan way for months,' Hortman said in a statement. 'It's time for our Republican colleagues to leave the partisan games behind and work with us to craft a budget for the people of Minnesota.' Demuth said it was always going to be an uphill battle for a Republican to win in the district. 'While the House will return to a 67-67 tie after tonight, House Republican priorities remain unchanged: we will continue our effort to stop the fraud, protect Minnesotans from harmful tax increases, and work with our Democrat colleagues to pass a responsible and balanced budget,' Demuth said in a statement. Ken Martin, a Minnesotan who chairs both the Democratic National Committee and the state party organization, congratulated Gottfried for what he called a 'crucial' victory for the party. Gottfried's win comes on the heels of special election victories earlier this year in Virginia and Iowa, and it shows that Americans are already rejecting President Donald Trump, the DNC said in a statement. 'Since November's election, Democrats continue to fight and win in communities across the country,' Martin said.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Speaker Lisa Demuth named among USA Today's 2025 'Women of the Year'
Minnesota's Speaker of the House and Rep. Lisa Demuth has been named among USA Today's 2025 "Women of the Year." Demuth, a Republican representing Cold Spring, became the first person of color to become Speaker of the House this year, having previously made history as the first African American and first biracial Minnesota House minority leader in 2023. The publication has selected 61 women across the United States who are "breaking barriers, pushing for change, and making communities better." The program was first launched in 2022 as a continuation of Women of the Century, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. In an interview with USA Today, Demuth spoke about her journey to politics that started in 2007, when she joined the ROCORI Public School District's Board of Education. Demuth then launched her school board campaign and was elected to office as a write-in candidate. She served on the board through 2018 before she made the transition to the Minnesota Legislature. "When [I was] looking at running for a bigger office, or running as a state representative, the footprint is bigger as far as the area that we serve," Demuth told the publication. "I have multiple school districts and multiple constituents." Demuth, who lives in Cold Spring, is also a breast cancer survivor. According to USA Today, the Republican credits her mother for instilling in her values of hard work, independence and integrity, which she considers crucial for leadership. This past November, she was re-elected with 75.4% of the vote. She will be Minnesota's House Speaker at least through 2026 after the DFL and GOP reached a power-sharing agreement after the 2024 elections resulted in a 67-67 split. What followed was controversy when a judge ruled a winning DFL candidate was ineligible for his district, sparking a special election and a power struggle as the Minnesota GOP sought to take advantage of its temporary one-seat majority. The GOP initially refused to seat Rep. Brad Tabke after it emerged 20 votes had been mistakenly thrown out in the Shakopee district, with the DFL boycotting the House in response, denying the GOP a quorum. The struggle ended when a deal was reached towards the beginning of February.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Minnesota Miracle' upended by new Republican House speaker
Over the last two years, Democrats used their governing trifecta in Minnesota to push through arguably the boldest progressive agenda — touted as the 'Minnesota Miracle' — in the country. That's about to change with a history-making new Republican House speaker. Rep. Lisa Demuth will be both the first Republican woman to preside over the chamber and the first Black person of either party to wield the gavel in St. Paul. But the four-term lawmaker downplays the significance of those milestones. Instead, she emphasizes the need to restore balance to the Legislature and rein in spending. 'We cannot continue to raise taxes on Minnesotans because they can't afford their lives at this point,' Demuth said. 'Tax increases are off the table.' Her ascension to the position comes after chaos ruled the Minnesota House for three weeks after the chamber convened for its 2025 session last month. Republicans held a one-seat majority, but Democrats refused to show up at the Capitol due to simmering disputes over the outcome of two state House races. That meant they didn't have the required quorum to conduct business. So, after a moment of silence and the pledge of allegiance, the chamber was immediately adjourned for seven straight sessions. The standoff finally ended with a power-sharing agreement between the two parties. Republicans will initially control committees and therefore the legislative agenda. But after a March 11 special election — which Democrats are almost certain to win, giving each party 67 seats — control will be pretty much evenly split, with Demuth likely to stay as Speaker. Demuth points to combating fraud as another top priority, due to scandals that have sparked criticism of the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz — Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election — most notably a $250 million scheme that siphoned money from a federally funded program to feed poor kids. 'There's been record fraud over the last six years with Gov. Walz at the helm of the state,' Demuth said. 'There hasn't been any serious consideration given to stopping that fraud.' (Walz issued an executive order in January creating a state fraud investigations unit and proposed legislation aimed at combating misuse of government funds.) Demuth spoke with POLITICO one week after the power struggle in St. Paul ended. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. How are you feeling about the ability to work together with Democrats, given the tensions over the last month? We acknowledge the absolute difference of viewpoint on both what happened and where we sit as a Legislature. Right now, we are at 67-66 with that one-seat advantage. But we know from the beginning that we're going to have to work together in a bipartisan fashion to move any bills off the House floor with at least 68 votes. So even though there's been the tension in the beginning, we recognize the need to work together. I believe we'll be able to do that, and that is what Minnesotans expect us to do. If Democrats win the special election on March 11 — as is pretty widely expected — you'll be back to a 67-67 split. In that situation, you've agreed to have co-chairs of committees and equal partisan membership. Why do you think that approach can work? I do believe the co-chair model within the committees will work well. Knowing that we need bipartisan support to really move bills forward, it's better that that work starts right in the committee process. Now, the one exception is the fraud committee. That will — for the next two years — be under [a] Republican majority with a 5-3 split and a Republican chair. That will be the one difference because we've really prioritized acknowledging the fraud — not just looking at it but finding solutions to end it. Why is that such a priority? Why is it important that Republicans will be able to lead that committee? There's been record fraud over the last six years with Gov. Walz at the helm of the state. There hasn't been any serious consideration given to stopping that fraud. We know that there's over $610 million of proven fraud in the state of Minnesota, yet there's been no commissioners that have lost their jobs, and there's been no accountability and meaningful change to prevent it going forward. Minnesotans are tired of funding fraud here in the state. They know their tax dollars are going out to fraud where it hasn't been stopped. With having a Republican chair at the helm of the committee, we're able to have the hearings as necessary and then potentially move policy through to stop that. When you talk to people across the state, they can't believe it's been allowed to go on this long. And so I would say it's a Minnesotan priority to stop fraud here in our state. Republicans won control of the House, at least temporarily, even though Gov. Walz was on the Democratic presidential ticket that won Minnesota by more than four percentage points. What do you attribute that success to in the House races? Minnesotans watched what was taking place in our state over the last two years with full Democrat control. We know that we spent an $18 billion surplus and raised taxes and fees on every Minnesotan by another $10 billion. So just the fiscal spending [under] one-party control, [we] needed to make a change. And that's what voters said. It's really important to recognize, though, that we [won] six GOP seats in which Kamala won on [the presidential] ticket in that area. So voters were really saying we need something different here at a state level. You're the first Republican woman to serve as speaker and the first Black person from either party to hold the post. How are you thinking about that achievement? I know that I am the most qualified to be the speaker of the House for the next two years just based on merit. The fact that I am the first woman to hold the seat for the Republicans and then the first Black lawmaker to hold the seat for Democrats or Republicans is something that I acknowledge, but I definitely didn't lead on that. To me, it's merit first. Are you the person that is most qualified to do the job? That is the priority. Over the last two years, there wasn't a lot of bipartisan work at all. I dare to say almost none. I'm a different kind of leader than you've seen in the past, and that is not being disrespectful to any previous leaders. I am very collaborative, both within my party and as much as possible trying to find commonalities across the aisle, trying to find those things that we can find agreement on. The first month of the Trump administration has been marked by efforts to massively reshape the federal government. How that ultimately plays out, especially with legal challenges, remains up in the air. But how are you thinking about how the changes in Washington affect your job? Clearly Americans decided to send President Trump back for a second term. That was overwhelming. Both the popular and the electoral votes proved that. People are looking for change. Knowing that there's going to be changes as far as wasteful spending, that is a positive thing. Knowing that there is a positive movement toward more safety and cracking down on criminal activity — that's a good thing. Right now I am completely focused, though, on the work that we're doing here in Minnesota. Knowing that we have a four-week delay in our session because of Democrats not showing up for work really puts the pressure on us to get our work done. We are really focusing here on the state and what we can do and control and move forward in the best way for Minnesotans. This is a budget year. Minnesota is looking at a projected $5 billion deficit in the '28-'29 biennium. Given those challenges that loom on the horizon, how are you thinking about this budgeting cycle and your approach as leader of the House? This budgeting cycle needs to recognize the fact that we do have that deficit that is looming over our state. Again, [we're] coming off of a record surplus of $18 billion and record spending and growing the budget by another $10 billion. We have been saying for the last two years as House Republicans in the minority, 'This is not sustainable. We are headed for a path that is going to put our state in jeopardy.' Yet those cautions were completely cast aside and not taken seriously. We're now living in that reality. This is the time to start making wise decisions. We're not going to just cut across the board, but we have to get rid of the waste that is found in fraud. We have to take a look at everything almost line by line and make wise spending decisions. We cannot continue to raise taxes on Minnesotans because they can't afford their lives at this point. Tax increases are off the table.
