Early this morning, House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin went toe-to-toe with House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman over whether the DFL would support the GOP Tax Bill. To pass the bill, the House suspended the rules, which requires 90 votes to pass a bill in the House.
Initially, Peppin asked whether Hortman would supply the additional 13 votes to pass the bill. Hortman replied that she’d vote for the bill but that she couldn’t speak for her members. Peppin pounced at that answer, saying that she’d signed a document that said she’d help pass the GOP Tax Bill. Hortman argued that she couldn’t tell others how to vote, causing Peppin to say that that logic essentially voided the agreement between Gov. Dayton, Speaker Daudt, Senate Majority Leader Gazelka, Senate Minority Leader Bakk and Hortman.
The DFL offered numerous class-warfare amendments to the bill, each of which were defeated. The bill was tabled before final passage, at which time the DFL caucused for half an hour. When they returned, Hortman had ‘found’ the 13 votes (and then some) to pass the bill 102-31.
Joyce Peppin stared down the House DFL leader and beat her. Congratulations, Mrs. Peppin!
Technorati: Special Session, Joyce Peppin, Tax Cuts, Melissa Hortman, DFL
