Legislative Update

Legislative Update: Minnesota Supreme Courts sides with the DFL

By Sara Grafstrom, January 2025

Week two of the legislative session saw much of the same, with DFL House members continuing to boycott the Capitol. On Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court sided with the DFL, ruling that the House needs 68 members to achieve a quorum, negating the GOP’s actions over the last two weeks. Committee hearings in the House scheduled for next week have been canceled, and an agreement that would bring DFL members back to the Capitol has still not been reached.

Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, Rep. Schomacker, GOP Chair of the House Human Service Finance and Policy Committee, held a hearing focused on public testimony on the Governor’s proposed budget. ARRM took this opportunity to highlight the negative impact that the budget cuts would have on disability waiver services and the people who access and provide them.

In the Senate Human Service Finance and Policy Committee, one hearing was held that focused on fraud prevention within the Department of Human Services. Testimony included representatives from the Office of the Legislative Auditor, the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services, county representatives, and some providers.

Looking ahead to this next week, we anticipate bills being scheduled in the Senate Human Services Finance and Policy Committee and will continue to monitor any type of agreement to come out of the House.

Take Action

If you have not already, please take a few moments to send a message to your Representative and Senator, urging them to reject the proposed cuts to disability waiver services included in the Governor’s proposed budget. You can find the action alert by visiting ARRM’s Advocacy page here.

Please reach out with any questions.

–Sara Grafstrom, Senior Director of State and Federal Polic