A Quorum Again

After three weeks in limbo, the Minnesota House is back in session. DFL and Republican leadership reached an agreement Wednesday night. Republican Lisa Demuth will be the speaker for the next two years. Initially, Republicans will chair and have a one-vote majority in the committees. If the House is tied after the special election in March, there will be co-chairs with equal party representation on the committees. “We have a lot of work to get done,” said Demuth. “Representative (Melissa) Hortman and I have both agreed that we need to get this work done for the people of Minnesota on time. Even with Democrats staying out for 23 days, that is the intent that we have going forward.” For legislation to advance, there will need to be support from both sides. DFL Leader Melissa Hortman admits that may be a big lift. “I think we’re going to have to work to get to the point where we’re collaborating in a bipartisan way,” said Hortman. “Leader Demuth and I had a very positive relationship from November 5 through December 20, but things got rocky on December 23. I think we’ll be able to work together well, but it will take some time (since) everybody’s still pretty angry at each other.”