House DFLers’ refusal to show up for work was unacceptable enough when they planned to stay away for two weeks, until a special election they hoped would restore a 67-67 DFL-to-Republican tie in their chamber.
But the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled last week that the special election had been unlawfully called and can’t be held until at least February or even March.
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Will DFLers continue to stay away that long? Will they continue to refuse to do the work voters from all over the state sent them to St. Paul to do?
Closer to home, will Duluth’s Reps. Liish Kozlowski and Pete Johnson really continue to leave our city unrepresented in the House? For weeks on end? For heaven knows how long? Will they continue to put their party’s power interests ahead of their constituents’ and community’s very-real legislative needs?
Make no mistake: The session is going on without the hooky-playing DFL representatives.
House Republicans elected a speaker.
Last week, Gov. Tim Walz proposed to the legislators present a two-year, $66 billion budget that includes reductions in spending growth, changes to the tax code, and a small slash to the state sales tax.
Advocacy events like Homeless Day on the Hill on March 12 and citizen-lobbying events like Duluth and St. Louis County at the Capitol on Feb. 12-13 continue to be scheduled and held with the lawmakers who choose to be there.
Bills are being introduced , including the first — to address fraud and waste within state government — to be passed by committee. Legislative action, however, is happening against the backdrop of a possible state Supreme Court ruling on the legitimacy of the work, with disagreement over how many members are needed for a quorum, whether 67 or 68.
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In addition, in an announcement to the press, leaders of the DFL laid out their party’s priorities for the session. They plan to focus on child care, health care, and housing, they said. Of course, their House members need to show up and participate first.
Adding to the chaos, a judge in Becker County decided that a felony burglary trial for Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, will occur after the legislative session concludes in May. And DFLers continue to be worried that Republicans might attempt to remove DFL Rep. Brad Tabke after he won his seat in November by only 14 votes but with another 20 ballots missing. The Republicans can drop any inkling of going after Tabke, after a recount and a court ruling both confirmed his legitimate and legal victory.
The Legislature this year needs to pass a two-year budget or risk a state-government shutdown. The governor’s budget proposal was just the first step in that. Lawmakers — all of them — are needed to compromise and hammer out an agreement that considers the crippling, $5.1 billion state budget deficit that’s expected by 2029, according to the latest state budget forecast.
There are also mounting critical needs everywhere in Minnesota that the Legislature needs to address, the urgency for state action exacerbated by lawmakers’ inexcusable inability last year to work together to pass a bonding bill, their top priority. In just Duluth and St. Louis County, state dollars are needed to complete Aerial Lift Bridge and water treatment plant improvements, create an integrated solid waste management campus in Canyon, and fully fund education, among other needs detailed on legislative priority lists prepared by the city, county, and Duluth Public Schools.
Clearly, this is no time to be a no-show. Duluth needs representation in both the Senate and the House. Now.
Rep. Liish Kozlowski represents eastern Duluth, and newly elected Rep. Pete Johnson represents western Duluth. At least they’re supposed to. They and their DFL colleagues need to report to work. Enough already.
The Trust Project
