Minnesota House Democrats staged a sit-in protest Friday in an effort to force a vote on gun restrictions and school safety measures, leaving final action on major aspects of a session-ending deal on hold until the weekend.
About a dozen DFLers remained in the chamber overnight following a failed effort to bring the bill up on Thursday night. They said the protest would continue through Saturday, when the House is set to resume its work on the floor.
The lawmakers said they want to put public pressure on GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth with just a few days remaining in the legislative session. The proposal passed the DFL-led Senate but hasn’t advanced in the Minnesota House, where there is a 67-67 tie between Republicans and Democrats.
“We're going to go right until the House gavels back in (on Saturday),” Rep. Dave Pinto, DFL-St. Paul, said Friday morning. “That bill's being held back, being hidden somewhere. And so we're going to stay right on through until the House gavels us back in and again, say ‘We want to see the bill and get the bill moving through the process.’”
As Thursday’s session ended, there was a shouting match between DFL and Republican lawmakers, who traded accusations over what was said and posted on social media about their version of events.
Members of the press and public were unable to see the sit-in as the chamber was locked while the House was out of session. DFL members livestreamed their prolonged time on the floor. They discussed their motivation for the action and had gun violence advocates call in to share their support.
Asked about the lack of a vote on the gun measure, Demuth said the bill hadn’t moved through the appropriate committees.
“We have taken bills up already on the same topics, individually within committee, that have failed on a party line vote,” Demuth said Thursday. “We have absolutely taken votes. They just haven't turned in the way that we're hearing some people want.”
Family members of children hurt or killed in an August shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School have been a frequent fixture at the Capitol this session and have urged lawmakers to add the gun restrictions.
Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis said lawmakers need to heed their calls for change.
“The public and these families and these students did their job. They have been sharing their stories for months. They brought their beautiful kids, brought their beautiful voices, to the rotunda to sing and hold us in hope,” Greenman said. “It is time for us to do our job, and what we and our colleagues have said is, ‘We will use all the power we have.’”
It would take a motion to suspend House rules, which requires a two-thirds vote to pass, to enable a quick vote.
At the Capitol on Friday, committee hearings and votes in the Senate were scheduled to continue.
Legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz reached a framework to end the legislative session on time. It includes a $1.2 billion public construction projects bill, license tab fee reductions and property tax relief.
It’s not clear whether the sit-in will bog that down.
Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, said she didn’t expect the protest would interfere with the package of legislation getting through on time.
“The grand bargain is done. It is signed, and I don't expect there to be any reason that this would impact that we are making it very clear what we're asking for,” Finke said. “If there is some interference between this and the business that has been done that will be on the Republican side.”
