Competing ethics complains fuel Minnesota Capitol drama
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Lawmakers at the divided Capitol returned from their weeklong Easter/Passover break with finger-pointing and partisan bickering.
Driving the drama: House Democrats filed an ethics complaint against Republican Reps. Elliott Engen and Walter Hudson over a recent DWI incident, arguing that GOP leadership didn't go far enough in stripping the duo of their committee assignments.
- House Republicans, meanwhile, said they'd file their own complaint against DFL Rep. Alex Falconer following an Alpha News report that he had carried environmental protection bills backed by his recent and current employers.
What they're saying: GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth told reporters that the consequences for her caucus members were appropriate, noting that Democrats charged with DWIs in recent years didn't lose their committee posts.
- House DFL leaders and Falconer said he would have backed the bills in question either way and that his work on the issue and day job as a federal government relations manager for Save the Boundary Waters were above board.
The big picture: The heightened tensions probably won't help efforts to reach agreements on major issues in the final sprint of session.
The latest: The House spent two hours yesterday sparring over whether to hold a formal floor debate on a GOP proposal to ban trans athletes from girls sports.
- A motion to bring the bill up for a vote failed on party lines.
What's next: There's still time for leaders to strike deals on outstanding issues that have bipartisan support, such as a proposal to establish an independent inspector general to combat fraud.
- 📆 39 days remain until the deadline for getting deals done.
Go Deeper on where key issues stand via MinnPost.