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Dear Neighbor,

The Legislature is set to convene Tuesday in St. Paul with a great deal of uncertainty over whether House Democrats will show up for work on time.

Will they do the work they were elected to do, or will they stay home and collect a paycheck?

After two years of enjoying full control of the Capitol, House Republicans broke up their trifecta of power in the November election. Then, a court ruled one metro Democrat cannot be seated when the session begins because he does not reside in the district he won, and that is illegal.

That creates a 67 Republican-66 Democrat House when we are sworn into office on Tuesday, pending the outcome of another election in the Shakopee area that is still in limbo due to lost ballots. Here’s where things get interesting: Democrats are threatening the historic action of not showing up for work to start the session, a move they say would deny the House a quorum and prevent the House from conducting business and organizing.

We just saw Democrats go to incredible partisan heights during the last two years, with the reckless spending, unnecessary tax increases and extreme policies they enacted. But this takes the cake in terms of putting politics ahead of doing what’s right for Minnesotans. I can’t imagine the blowback Democrats would face from frustrated Minnesotans who expect the public officials they elect to show up for work instead of playing hooky while collecting a paycheck.

Democrats are trying to have it both ways by saying if they skip the start of session, they’ll still be working by meeting with people back in their districts, etc. That clever spin might sound good among themselves but, honestly, they’re going to have a lot more explaining to do. A House member can only spend so much time at local donut sessions before constituents point out legislators need to be at the Capitol to actually do the work we were elected to do.

A no-show for the 2025 session would be an insult to the people of this state, a dereliction of duty and an embarrassment for the Democrat minority. Why should taxpayers be on the hook for paying wages to legislators who don’t show up for work? How long will Democrats neglect their obligations to constituents while still collecting taxpayer-funded salaries during their walkout?

Best-case scenario is all this talk of staging a boycott is all bluster and posturing by Democrats who are struggling to cope with being in the minority to start this session. The good news is, regardless of what Democrats do, House Republicans have been working and are prepared to start working for Minnesotans on day 1. We recently issued a list of priorities we share with Minnesotans for the 2025 legislative session. They include:


* Stop the Fraud
* Make Minnesota Affordable
* Make Minnesota Safe
* Raise Standards, Reduce Mandates
* Minnesota Tax Dollars for Minnesotans
* Build for the Future

I’ll get into each of these priorities in more detail soon and as things unfold this session. For now, please stay in touch and your thoughts/ideas/concerns are welcome as always. I’m honored to be returning to the House as your state Rep. and look forward to starting the 2025 session Tuesday.

Sincerely,

Shane






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State Rep. Shane Mekeland
2nd Floor, Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55155
[email protected] <[email protected]>
(651) 296-2451







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