Serving as Senate President and Lieutenant Governor

Senate President Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, addressed the media Wednesday, December 13, saying she will maintain her role as Senate President when assuming the role of Lieutenant Governor. Governor Mark Dayton selected current Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated through the resignation of U.S. Senator Al Franken. Minnesota's Constitution states that the last elected presiding officer of the Senate "shall become" the lieutenant governor when the office is officially vacated.

"As prescribed by law, I will continue to serve in both of those roles," Fischbach said. She further explained that the Lieutenant Governor does not have any executive powers prescribed by the state constitution, thus avoiding any conflict to the separation of powers that the constitution establishes. "The only powers that the lieutenant governor would have would be delegated by the governor," she said.

Fischbach is scheduled to have lunch with Governor Mark Dayton on Friday, December 15, when they will discuss the lieutenant governor role. Earlier in the day, Dayton said he is looking forward to working with the Senator, while acknowledging that they come from different political parties with different views.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk released a statement saying that the Minnesota Constitution prohibits a senator from serving both in the Minnesota Senate and as Lieutenant Governor, thus a special election would be held. With one Minnesota Senate seat open due to the resignation of Senator Dan Schoen, DFL-Cottage Grove, a second open seat would put the control of the Senate "up for grabs," Bakk stated.