Minnesota GOP will file petition to recall House Democrats

There is still no quorum in the Minnesota House, but House leaders said they have kicked negotiations into a new gear.

It is possible the motivation is a recall attempt where the state GOP is targeting all 66 current House Democrats for not showing up to work at the capitol.

Minnesota has a tough process of recalling elected state officials

The backstory:

Minnesota Republicans announced Tuesday that after going into the fourth week of House DFL legislators boycotting the session at the capitol, they have started their attempt to recall House Democrats.

The legislative session started on Jan. 14, and Republicans said House Democrats have yet to show up to work.

House Democrats said they are working outside the capitol and floor sessions.

This is an ongoing battle for control of the chamber, where House Republicans currently hold a one-seat advantage of 67-66.

House Democrats believe this will likely end up in a tie after the special election for the vacant seat in House District 40B. So, House DFL legislators would like to ensure a power-sharing agreement.

That special election will likely be held in March.

State statutes do provide a process for the recall of elected state officials. It is a long and tough process that involves many layers.

Republicans estimate it could take around 10 months to complete if every step is successful along the way. There has not been a state legislator who has been successfully recalled in the state’s history.

Steps to recall:

The first step is to submit a Proposed Recall Petition. The petitioner needs to collect 25 signatures from eligible voters in each district and submit grounds or reasons for recall to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Once that first step is submitted, the Secretary of State reviews the proposal. If found to be valid, it will then get sent to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Then there are many additional layers of scrutiny that follow, including a public hearing before a recall election can be organized and held.

What they're saying:

Republicans said they believe they have grounds to pursue a recall of House DFL legislators.

"There are 66 districts across our state that have no representation at the capitol. There are hearings that aren’t happening. There are debates that are not occurring," said Jennifer DeJournett, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Minnesota.

Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz disagrees.

"We are not going to allow you to do what we’re seeing at the federal level. You are not going to go in and fire state employees. You are not going to take power in a short-term window of gap. That’s not what the voters voted for," said Walz.

What's next:

State Republicans said they plan to submit the first batch of Proposed Recall Petitions to the Secretary of State’s Office next week.

The Source: FOX 9, The Research Department of the Minnesota House of Representatives, Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, Governor’s Tim Walz's Office, Republican Party of Minnesota

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