 Dear Neighbors:
I hope that your year is off to a good start.
For me, the legislative year in many ways started on Saturday with the first "Chat with Dave" of 2025 (see photo). It was a great conversation. The many words of appreciation for the event from attendees were a real boost - thank you. Please look for the next Chat in February.
 As we discussed on Saturday, this year's legislative session will be complicated. In November, Minnesotans voted for equal numbers of DFL and Republican candidates for state representative - resulting in a rare 67-67 tie in the state House, with neither party holding a 68-vote majority. Consistent with this, caucus leaders began to announce procedures for shared power. While a challenge, shared governance is an exciting opportunity as well.
Since the election, there have been several vacancies in legislative seats, with special elections scheduled for January 28. As a result of these vacancies (in generally DFL-held districts in Roseville and Minneapolis), House Republicans have a one-seat majority, and the state Senate is tied - both for about two weeks.
Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate recently announced a power-sharing agreement which will apply during the tie, after which the party with the majority of votes will control.
In the House, DFL leaders have made a similar proposal - that control over the House be held by Republicans while they have a plurality of votes and shared when the parties have equal votes.
Unfortunately, Republican leaders have rejected this. Instead, they now say that they will use their temporary plurality to seize permanent control of the House for the next two years. That is, they plan to keep power not just during the two weeks when they have a one-vote advantage but during the more than 100 weeks when they don't. At the same time, they have indicated that they would use their temporary control to unseat a duly elected DFL state representative from Shakopee, regardless of a court ruling which is expected soon - disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters in that district.
This approach would override the will of so many voters. Put simply, it's unacceptable.
Negotiations are continuing even as I send this message. Again, Senate Republicans and Democrats have just provided a good model for agreement. I'm hopeful that Republican leaders will agree to something similar before the new legislative session is scheduled to begin tomorrow. Please know that I'll continue to do all that I can to help.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you,
Dave Pinto
State Representative, District 64B
503 State Office Building
(651) 296-4199
Subscribe to my email updates: www.house.leg.state.mn.us/64b
Follow my office on Facebook: facebook.com/repdavepinto
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