ST. PAUL – After staying away from the State Capitol for 23 days, Minnesota House Democrats finally ended their shutdown and returned to St. Paul to conduct the people’s business in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
State Representative Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska) disagreed with the Democrat choice to boycott House proceedings but is pleased with the results of the negotiated agreement between House Republican and Democrats to begin session.
“Through a series of challenging negotiations our team has been able to put a Republicans in the 2nd most powerful position in state government,” Torkelson said. “I’d like to congratulate Lisa Demuth and couldn’t be more pleased that she will serve as our Speaker of the House for the next biennium.”
Torkelson said House Democrats returned to work on February 6 after reaching an agreement with House Republicans on how the 2025 and 2026 sessions will operate.
Currently Republicans hold a 67-66 advantage in the chamber. A special election for one open Metro Area House seat will likely be held in mid-March, which could lead to either a two seat Republican advantage or a tie.
Under an approved agreement by House Republican and Democrat leadership, Republican Lisa Demuth will serve as Speaker of the House for both the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions. Republicans will also hold a minimum of a one seat advantage on all House committees, at least until the results of the House District 40B seat in Roseville have been certified. Torkelson said this will allow Republican bills and priorities to move forward without roadblocks in the Minnesota House for at least six weeks.
A new, and much-touted, House committee that’s designed to shine a light on years of fraud within state government will also be put in place. The newly formed Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee will soon begin holding hearings into the massive fraud issues that have run rampant during Governor Walz’s tenure. With more than $1 billion – that we know about – being stolen due to fraudulent activity in our state, Torkelson said Republicans and Democrats alike should celebrate that we are taking a significant step to root out fraud and hold criminals accountable.
Torkelson, who is chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he is pleased to have the opportunity to chair a committee with a Republican majority.
“I’m looking forward to moving the Republican agenda forward in the Minnesota House, for however long that may be,” Torkelson concluded. “The Democrat shutdown solved nothing, but now that it is behind us, we need to work together on a budget and numerous other issues before session ends in mid-May.”