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January 13, 2025

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Happy 2025! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays with your family and that your new year is off to a great start!

I am excited and honored to once again represent our communities in the Minnesota House! The 2025-2026 Legislative Session is set to convene tomorrow, January 14th.

Recent developments have introduced complexities that may impact our ability to organize the House. As you know, the November election resulted in a 67-67 tie in the Minnesota House. Those numbers, however, changed when a district judge ruled against seating a Democrat member-elect in Roseville because he doesn’t live in the district for which he ran for office. That puts the House in a temporary 67-66 Republican majority, until a Special Election can be held. In addition, there is a separate election contest in Shakopee, for which we are still waiting for a court decision.

SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Just as I was finishing this newsletter, we saw media reports that the House DFL Members were sworn into office at a secret ceremony Sunday afternoon by retired Judge Kevin Berg at the MN History Center. This is a clear violation of Minnesota Statute 3.05, which states:

“At noon of the day appointed for convening the legislature, the members shall meet in their respective chambers. The lieutenant governor shall call the Senate to order and the secretary of state, the House of Representatives. In the absence of either officer, the oldest member present shall act in the officer's place. The person so acting shall appoint, from the members present, a clerk pro tem, who shall call the legislative districts in the order of their numbers. As each is called, the persons claiming to be members from each shall present their certificates to be filed. All whose certificates are so presented shall then stand and be sworn.”

It is going to be a historic week in Minnesota politics. Keep reading for more background on these election issues and whether we will be able to convene the House.

Executive Summary

• Contested Legal Challenges

• GOP Priorities Set; Ready to Work

• Chair of new committee on Fraud & Oversight

• Meetings and Visitors

Contested Elections and Legal Challenges

As I mentioned above, here is some background on the two election contests that still need resolution in the House:

Shakopee (District 54A): Incumbent Democrat Brad Tabke was declared the winner by a narrow margin of 14 votes. However, it was later discovered that 20 valid absentee ballots were destroyed by election workers before they could be counted. The Republican candidate, Aaron Paul, filed an election contest in order to protect those voters who were disenfranchised. During the trial, Rep. Tabke's lawyers called to the stand what they believed to be some of the voters whose ballots were tossed. However, during cross-examination, county workers testified that they could not confirm, with absolute certainty, exactly whose ballots were thrown away.

Roseville (District 40B): Democratic candidate Curtis Johnson won the election by a significant margin. Subsequently, a Ramsey County District Judge ruled that Johnson did not meet the residency requirements under Minnesota law, deeming him ineligible to serve. Mr. Johnson decided not to appeal the ruling, and a special election was called by the Governor for January 28, 2025, to fill this seat. While this district leans strongly Democrat, two issues remain. First, Mr. Johnson lied to the voters and claimed to live in the district when he actually did not. Second, the Governor called a special election during a time in which it was illegal to do so. The specific circumstances of this special election are that it arose from an “election contest.” According to Minnesota Statute 204D.19:

“Subd. 4.Writ when vacancy results from election contest. If a vacancy results from a successful election contest, the governor shall issue 22 days after the first day of the legislative session a writ calling for a special election unless the house in which the contest may be tried has passed a resolution which states that it will or will not review the court's determination of the contest. If the resolution states that the house will not review the court's determination, the writ shall be issued within five days of the passage of the resolution.”

Since the Governor did not adhere to the statute governing special elections arising from election contests, a lawsuit has been filed by the Republican Party to determine if the call for a special election was legal. With these two seats very much still up in the air, Republicans will hold a 67-66 Majority when the House convenes tomorrow.

Implications for House Majority and Legislative Proceedings

Because the court disqualified Mr. Johnson from taking the oath of office, the House currently stands at 133 elected members, which gives Republicans a temporary 67-66 majority. This slim advantage enables Republicans to elect Representative Lisa Demuth as Speaker of the House and assume control of committee assignments. However, the upcoming special election in the Democratic-leaning District 40B could eventually restore the previous balance, necessitating a new bipartisan power-sharing agreement.

What remains to be seen, however, is the ruling in the Shakopee case. If the judge rules in favor of a special election, as we believe is necessary to uphold the integrity of secret elections and individual voting rights, a new election in this seat would likely be held sometime in February. A Republican win would cement a one-seat Republican majority of 68-67 for the next two years. A loss would leave the House tied at 67-67.

Republicans have temporary 67-66 Majority because the Democrats cheated by running a candidate who did not live in his district. Republicans will move forward with electing Lisa Demuth as Speaker of the House and govern as the majority until the special election in Roseville is held and the court issues a ruling in the Shakopee case.

Democratic Response and Quorum Concerns

In response to these developments, Democrats have threatened to not show up for work for the next two weeks while still collecting their taxpayer-funded paychecks. They argue this would deny a quorum, which is the minimum number of members present necessary for any business to occur. They claim that because the House usually has 134 elected members, a majority - and a quorum - is 68. However, because there is no representative for District 40B until the special election on the 28th, the actual total of elected members is 133. This means that 67 members constitute a quorum, and House Republicans will proceed accordingly.

Unsurprisingly, Secretary of State Steve Simon (D), who presides as a ceremonial Speaker until the House can elect one, agrees with Democrats. House Democrats have announced they will not come to the Capitol on Tuesday and Secretary Simon has announced that he will rule that the House cannot organize without 68 members.

If Democrats do not show up for work, and the Secretary of State refuses to proceed, no legislative business—including passing temporary rules to organize the House—can proceed. This will create a true constitutional crisis as the Executive Branch (Sec. Simon) does not have the constitutional authority to do anything but gavel in the House and specify a date for adjournment. As a member of the Executive Branch, he has no authority to rule on matters of procedure in the Legislative Branch.

House Democrats would rather abandon their constituents and ignore the pressing needs of the people of Minnesota all because they no longer control all levers of power in the House. Democrats will still either have a tie or a slim majority in the Senate, as well as a Democrat Governor. All work, regardless of who holds the House Speakership, will still have to be bipartisan this session.

Instead of working with Republicans and showing up on Tuesday to do their Constitutional duty and take the oath of office as prescribed in statute, Democrats are driving us into a Constitutional crisis – all because their candidate cheated in the Roseville race. This is the height of irresponsibility.

They have a duty to their constituents and the State of Minnesota to come to work on the first day of session. I hope they come so we can get to work!

Getting to Work; House Republican Priorities

Despite these challenges, Republicans remain committed to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work for the people of Minnesota. Our legislative agenda focuses on six key pillars:

• Stop the Fraud: Implementing measures to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs.
• Make Minnesota Affordable: Enacting policies to reduce the cost of living for families and businesses.
• Make Minnesota Safe: Supporting law enforcement and initiatives that enhance public safety.
• Raise Standards, Reduce Mandates: Improving educational outcomes while minimizing unnecessary regulations.
• Minnesota Tax Dollars for Minnesotans: Ensuring state funds are utilized effectively for the benefit of residents.
• Build for the Future: Investing in infrastructure and sustainable development to strengthen our state's future.

Only time will tell what the rest of this week will look like, but I sincerely hope that my Democrat colleagues will put aside their partisan games and join us in these goals.

As part of these goals, I have  been named to chair a new Committee on Fraud and Oversight. This committee will work to reign in the rampant fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds across our state agencies. To date, nearly $1 billion in fraud has been discovered. It's time to hold these agencies accountable and protect your taxpayer dollars.

Meetings and Visits

In the spirit of the upcoming session, I had the pleasure of celebrating the start of YMCA’s “Youth in Government” YIG 2025 with my colleagues from the Civility Caucus, Representative Sandra Feist (D) & Senator Zach Duckworth (R)!

The students we met were so impressive and are going to have an incredible 4 days! Thanks to all of the teachers, leaders & volunteers who make this program possible! I am a proud alumna of YIG, and love supporting student leaders.

I'm also proud of all of the schools in 37A who sent delegations to YIG! This year’s Governor & Lt. Governor are both from Wayzata High School and Lt. Governor Megan is from the Maple Grove Ambassador Scholarship Program! So proud of our district!

Photos

Always great to start the day with leaders from the 7 school districts in beautiful 37A at the Association of Metropolitan School Districts (AMSD) Legislative Priorities discussion (above). School districts want relief from all of the unfunded mandates and more flexibility to spend the money they get. Great to sit with Orono Public Schools leaders & see board members from ISD 279 - Osseo Area Schools!

Enjoyed catching up with Secretary Lin from Taiwan in Chicago (above) when he visited last week! Taiwan is one of the top destinations for the Minnesota Corn & Minnesota Soybean Growers Associations & they also have significant FDI in pharmaceuticals, including Bora Pharmaceuticals in the City of Maple Grove, MN. Grateful for the strong partnership between Taiwan & Minnesota!

Please Contact Me

Your input is invaluable as we navigate this legislative session! I encourage you to share your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions to ensure that our work reflects the needs and values of our communities.

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.

The best way to reach me is by email: rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn.gov. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked every weekday while we are in session.

NEW LA: I’m very happy to welcome Katlynn Miller as my new Legislative Assistant! If you would like to schedule a meeting, you can reach Katlynn at: Katlynn.Miller@house.mn.gov

Of course, if you are coming to the Capitol, I’d love to meet you! Please reach out if you would like to set-up an in-person meeting. Have a great week!

Kristin

2nd Floor Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806