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Dear Neighbors,

First, I would like to thank everyone for their emails, phone calls, and meetings. I’ve heard from a lot of you. Many constituents have agreed with the DFL caucus, and some have had concerns. I would like to provide the facts around actions taken on both sides.

In my last email, I alerted our community about a breakdown in power-sharing negotiations in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Republicans had walked away from the negotiating table and appeared poised to kick out a duly elected DFL state representative regardless of the outcome of their lawsuit challenging the election result. 

On the morning of January 14, a district court judge ruled that my colleague Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee won by a slim margin, but Republicans have still not committed to seating him. Reporters have asked House Republican Leader Lisa Demuth three times if Republicans will seat Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee, whose victory was upheld on election night, in a recount, and by a judge. Demuth refused to answer yes or no. It’s clear that Republicans have already made a decision to kick out Tabke and overturn the will of the voters, and now they are trying to deflect and cover up their anti-democratic conduct. Demuth said the quiet part out loud when she told a conservative podcast host on January 8 that Tabke should not be seated regardless of a judge’s ruling. When an election result is upheld on election night, in a public recount, and in a court ruling, it’s time for the losing side to concede. That is how our democracy works. 

Minnesotans deserve to decide who represents them, not 67 politicians under a dome. That is why I am taking the legislative action of staying away from the state capitol and focusing on working with members in our community until we can negotiate a power sharing agreement that includes not removing Rep. Tabke from office. The Minnesota Supreme Court have heard arguments to find that Republicans’ unlawful sessions, unlawful election for Speaker, and other unlawful actions have no legal effect. 

Over the past two months, Democrats and Republicans negotiated a fair power-sharing agreement. With Minnesotans electing equal numbers of DFL and Republican state representatives, governing together under shared power with co-Speakers, committee co-chairs, and equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans on committees is just plain common sense. Neither party has a majority, neither party has enough votes to pass a bill, and neither party has enough members to lawfully conduct House business, including the election of a Speaker. This should be a time when we begin the important work that Minnesotans elected us to do, like reducing costs and making life more affordable. 

In this tumultuous time, I will continue the work in whatever way I need to protect representative democracy and work to ensure that everyone has access to stable housing, lower costs for working families, protect our most basic freedoms, and secure a brighter future for all Minnesotans. 

I’m doing just that, meeting with constituents in our district. Here are some highlights!

It was an honor to visit the  Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, Inc. with my colleagues. They have played a vital role in the community, and I’m dedicated to being a partner in the legislature.

I’m always looking for ways to make our healthcare more accessible. It was a pleasure discussing dental policy with Dr. Sheila Riggs from the University of Minnesota. We must make sure that every Minnesotan can get the care they need to have a healthy mouth. The challenges are big, but we have been making progress, and will keep moving in the right direction.

Auto body shops often face challenges when working with insurance companies. I visited our friends at LaMettry’s Auto Body shop to talk about how we can improve their ability to serve consumers, keep cars safer, and keep costs lower for everyone.

Our nurses do a phenomenal job at ensuring care for our patients. I recently met with Eagan RNs to talk about the violence they face and the impact of staffing reductions.

One in 10 Minnesotans are affected by rare diseases. Working together, we can ensure we are researching, diagnosing, treating, and educating. I recently visited Gillette’s Children’s Hospital to discuss caring for children with these rare diseases. Today, I toured the University of Minnesota’s research facilities to see up close their efforts in combating these diseases.

Keep in Touch

If you have any questions or feedback you’d like to share, you can contact me by email at [email protected] or call (651) 296-4128. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.  

Sincerely,  

Liz Reyer  

State Representative