It's not just you — the start of the 2025 legislative session in Minnesota has been a little difficult to follow, even for seasoned politicos and journalists.
Republicans gaveled in at the House of Representatives with half the chamber empty as Democrats boycotted the beginning of the session. That's why you see so many empty seats in the image above.
So, why are Democrats missing from the legislative equation? Here are three things to know about the first day of the session:
Democrats walk out
The DFL held a secret swearing-in Sunday in order to seat its members but deny Republicans the ability to call a full session of the House. That's because state statute says a majority of the chamber must be present to conduct business, but Democrats and Republicans have different interpretations of the denominator in that equation.
The DFL says 134, the total number of seats in the House. That means the chamber needs 68 members present. The GOP contends it's 133, or the number of members currently serving in the House after a Roseville-area seat came up for grabs in December.
Republicans elected a leader, anyway
The GOP elected Rep. Lisa Demuth as the House speaker yesterday, based on the party's assertion that it had enough members in the chamber to start the session.
“There is serious work that needs to be done here in the state of Minnesota,” Demuth said after the session adjourned. “We look forward to when our Democratic colleagues choose to join us and choose to represent the areas voters have elected them.”
What's next?
Demuth's election as speaker and the overall rules for conducting business in the House are likely to come before the state Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Gov. Tim Walz called for a Jan. 28 special election to fill the Roseville-area seat that came vacant when a Dakota County judge ruled the DFLer who won it didn't actually live in the district.
Senate Democrats and Republicans gaveled in to a more traditional start of the session despite the even split in the chamber. Tuesday's happenings in the chamber were largely dedicated to Sen. Kari Dziedzic, the former DFL majority leader who died of ovarian cancer in December.
We have a few more key things to know about the start of the new legislative session, plus the results of the election to succeed Dziedzic in the Senate at the links below:
