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Dear Neighbors,

Since my update last week, outlining my concerns on a potential House Republican power grab, I’m sorry to say the GOP’s legislative coup has come to fruition.

Had just one of my DFL colleagues been present in the House chamber at the start of session on Tuesday, Republicans would have kicked DFL Rep. Tabke out of the legislature, even though he won an election that was upheld by the courts.

Without DFL members present, Secretary of State Steve Simon, the constitutionally-appointed presiding officer for the House at the start of session, ruled that there were not enough members present to conduct the business of the House, and adjourned.

What’s happened since that moment has been akin to a legislative coup. Republicans asserted control of the House, elected a Speaker, held fraudulent hearings, and have started introducing fraudulent bills to roll back victories from last session like our 100% Clean Energy Bill and paid family medical leave. The Minnesota Supreme Court will rule next week, and I expect they will rule that House Republicans have broken our law and that their sham legislative efforts are unconstitutional.

This is very frustrating. My hope would be that my House Republican colleagues would join us at the negotiating table so that we could come to a true power-sharing agreement. There is much bipartisan work to do, but as long as Republicans are attempting a legislative coup to throw out a duly elected member of the Minnesota House, we will not be able to proceed.

Until that time, the work continues.

Working for our district, from our district

Even though my DFL colleagues and I refuse to grant legitimacy to the GOP coup, that doesn’t mean work has stopped. If anything, I find myself busier with meetings in and around our community, connected with our neighbors on the issues that matter to them most. My in-district schedule and others were highlighted in this recent piece from the Minnesota Reformer.

Shout out to Judy Moe for meeting with me and sharing her story in this piece. But it’s not just constituent meetings in coffee shops, my colleagues and I are also taking this time to tour institutions and organizations serving our community, including a stop this week at the Minneapolis Planned Parenthood clinic.

Several members of the Minneapolis Legislative Delegation met yesterday to tour Spring Manor, the largest public housing redevelopment project in the city’s history. Public housing is a vital source of affordable housing for Minnesotans across the state, but without public investment we will lose it.

Spring Manor is a great example of what we can accomplish when the city, state, and federal governments work together for the common goal of producing more affordable housing.

Speaking of housing, as the Housing Co-Chair (or at least I was before the GOP coup), I joined DFL leaders this morning to unveil our legislative priorities for this year - because, hopefully soon, we’ll be back in a legitimate House of Representatives passing bills.

Among other priorities focused on improving the lives of Minnesotans, DFLers are also working to ensure families and future generations can live and thrive in an affordable home. Whether you are a young person trying to find a place to rent or a working family seeking to buy a home for the first time, the increasing cost of housing is pricing Minnesotans out of the American Dream.

Minnesota will be stronger when every person has a home they can afford in a community where they want to live and thrive. Our plan will jumpstart the construction of more homes to own and to rent, and crack down on the hedge funds and corporations scooping up homes and illegally raising your rent. Minnesotans are telling us loud and clear that the cost of housing is too expensive. They’re right. We plan to take action.

You can read our agenda of proposals here, and you can watch today’s press conference here.

Stay Connected

Whether I’m in our district or at the capitol, please continue to reach out with your questions, comments, and ideas on how we can make our community and state better.

You can follow along on my official Facebook page, and you can always contact my office at [email protected] or 651-296-7158. You’ll either hear back from me or our new Legislative Assistant, Sowmya. 

In partnership,

Michael Howard