Senator Gazelka Outlines Potential Senate Furloughs, Shutdown

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, spoke to the press on Wednesday, November 8, about potential timelines for the furloughing of Senators and staff in addition to suspension of Senate operations. Last May, Governor Mark Dayton line-item vetoed the legislature's budget appropriation in an effort to renegotiate a handful of measures passed during the 2017 session.

The Minnesota Legislature brought a lawsuit against Governor Dayton in June, arguing that the veto was unconstitutional. After Ramsey County District Court Judge John Guthmann ruled in the Legislature's favor, Governor Dayton appealed to the state's Supreme Court which ordered the parties into mediation. In September, the parties failed to reach any agreement.

The ensuing state of financial limbo has prompted Senator Gazelka to begin preparations for the layoffs of both Senators and staff. Senator Gazelka said he will ask for some additional funds from the Legislative Coordinating Commission (LCC), which would allow payroll and other expenses to be covered through January 12, 2018. Without LCC funding, the Senate will run out of money on December 1, 2017. Senator Gazelka reported that the House of Representatives has several more months of funding available to them.

In response to Senator Gazelka’s announcement, the Governor’s Assistant Chief of Staff, Matt Swenson, released the following statement: “The Senate Republican Leader is creating this situation. Despite sitting on nearly $45 million in available state funding for his operations, he and other Legislative Leaders are choosing to lay off their own employees, rather than admit that they have misled the courts, the press, and the public about their true financial situation."