ST.PAUL, Minn. – Like business as usual, House Republicans ignored a boycott by every Democrat member and proceeded without a quorum to elect leadership and announce committee assignments for the four-month 2025 session. Whether the proceedings were legal was unclear. Secretary of State Steve Simon, in his ministerial role as convener for the first day of the new session, had declared a quorum was lacking and graveled business immediately to a halt. As soon as Simon departed, Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, took the floor and a asked for a rollc all to establish a quorum Without headcount, a quorum was declared. And the Republicans proceeded to elect Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, as House speaker.
Quorum requirement
It’s highly usual for one party to proceed going-it-alone and damn-them-Democrats. When the Democrat House speaker-designate, Melissa Hortman got word of what was happening, she promised an appeal to the state Supreme Court to declare it all null and void. The quorum issue is a bit tricky. Usual parliamentary procedure is specifies that a majority of members must be present for business to be conducted. The House, however is 67-67 between the two parties, which means quorum would require 68 members present. No Democrats were there. The GOP had only 67.
The back story
So why the boycott? Democrats said The GOP had gone back on its word on an agreement to share powerto aoidg a 67-67 gridlock along party lines. In response, the Democrats — every one of them — stayed away. About the Republican-only proceedings, Democrats called it brazen, short-sighted and illegal. They authorized their communications director, Matt Roznowski, to issue a public statement: “Everything that has happened after Secretary Simon adjourned today’s session is a sham.”
Demuth. Will her speakership survive a Supreme Coury challenge?
Niska. Called for quorum to be declared by acclamation.