Minnesota’s house Democrats are expected to end their nearly month-long boycott of the state’s legislative session and return to the state capitol on Thursday afternoon after reaching a power-sharing agreement with Republicans.
The two sides reached an agreement late Wednesday, ending the standoff that had halted house proceedings since the beginning of the session on January 14, according to Minnesota news outlets. As part of the agreement, GOP leader Lisa Demuth will serve as speaker for the next two years, though with some as yet unclear conditions.
Republicans, who currently hold a 67-66 seat edge in the chamber, will also chair all house committees until a March 11 special election to fill a vacant Twin Cities-area seat that is widely expected to be won by a Democrat and to bring the house to a 67-67 tie. If that happens, Republicans and Democrats will co-chair committees, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
The agreement also creates a committee to investigate potential fraud in state government. Republicans will chair that committee for the next two years, the paper reported.
The two parties are expected to release additional details of the agreement Thursday.
Both parties won 67 house seats in November, seemingly bringing the chamber to a tie after it had been controlled by Democrats since 2019. Party leaders were expected to reach a power-sharing agreement, but a December court ruling added a wrinkle when a judge found that Democrat Curtis Johnson, who decisively won a Twin Cities-area house seat, was ineligible to serve because he didn’t live in the Roseville apartment he’d rented to establish residency in the district.
To deny Republicans a quorum and to block them from taking charge of the 134-seat chamber, Democrats played hooky for 23 days. They were sworn in at an off-site location two days before the session began. House Republicans accused Democrats of skipping work but continuing to collect their paychecks from taxpayers. At one point, they posted a series of “missing persons” photos of their Democratic colleagues on X, and accused them of playing “hide and seek.”
Republicans argued they had a quorum because they hold a majority of the 133 seats currently held by elected representatives, and proceeded to elect a speaker and conduct business. However, the state supreme court sided with the Democrats, ruling that 68 house members — a majority of the 134-seat chamber — must be present to establish a quorum and conduct business, essentially nullifying Republican efforts.
On Tuesday, Republicans threatened to file recall petitions against their absent Democratic colleagues. They were also slated to appear before the state supreme court on Thursday seeking a ruling that would allow them to make motions from the house floor to compel the Democrats to show up to work and to dock their salaries if they didn’t.