With time running out at the capitol, GOP representatives make their final case on several bills

[THEME MUSIC] CATHY WURZER: The Minnesota legislative session ends in less than a week, and there are still several big bills that have not been approved. Republicans, who are in the minority in both chambers, will have a voice in many deals in these final days. The GOP caucus flexed its muscles last night in the House, holding a seven-hour filibuster over the final House action on a consumer fee bill.

DAVE BAKER: Whether it's an eighth ounce, a quarter pounder, it's a half pounder, it's a third pounder, a burger just isn't a burger like this anymore, folks. So when you put a bill together and you try to fix something, Representative Greenman, in this case you're actually doing far more damage than you realize. You think what you're doing is you're giving more transparency and more-- here's what the price is going to be, and there literally is no way you're going to catch it all. So you're making it just one more thing harder to do in Minnesota here to do business, like our burger joint owners, the people that work really hard to do this.

CATHY WURZER: That was Republican Representative Dave Baker of Wilmer. Joining us right now is House Minority Leader, Cold Spring Area Representative Lisa Demuth.

Thank you, representative, for taking the time.

LISA DEMUTH: Good afternoon, Cathy. Thanks for visiting with me for a few minutes.

CATHY WURZER: Well, last night's marathon debate pushed off action over the Equal Rights Amendment ballot proposal that we've reported on. Tell me a little bit about your thought process, as one of the Republican leaders, on drawing out debate on conference committee reports.

LISA DEMUTH: You know, the conference committee report that came through on the deceptive trade practices, or, we like to call it, is the junk fees. We had legitimate concerns over that conference committee report. It's going to make things more expensive in Minnesota, as we've seen over time.

And already, as you heard from my colleague Dave Baker on the little clip there, things are more expensive, especially when it comes down to the hospitality industry and many others. And so we did have definite concerns. We were unable to get the Democrats to vote to reject that conference committee, but it wasn't for lack of trying. We brought up legitimate concerns over the cost, and what this is going to do to our businesses.

CATHY WURZER: I know Republicans have concerns over the ERA bill, too. Was this by design to push off debate so you can muster forces? Tell me a little bit about that, perhaps.

LISA DEMUTH: The ERA bill that was calendared for yesterday, the majority has chosen to wait until the last less than 100 hours of session to bring up the ERA bill that they consider their priority. They could have brought this up last year, they could have brought it up earlier in session, but it was calendared for yesterday.

We are not in charge of or have any input into how things are being calendared. In fact, we are hearing more from the media, from reports that are being made as far as things that are going on, and how they're going to be handled, rather than the Democrats working with Republicans right now.

We do still have concerns over the ERA. There's something-- definitely, bonding is still in the mix, but until the majority becomes serious with working with Republicans in the last four days of session, we are just doing our work whenever we are on the House floor.

CATHY WURZER: Let me ask you about bonding. Republican votes are needed to approve the bonding bill because all sides have projects in it, as well. I'm curious, how Republicans could use bonding as a bargaining chip to get what they want in maybe other legislation.

LISA DEMUTH: The bonding bill is something that we have been working on all session. We know that is needed for different areas of our state. As far as looking at a looming deficit, though, MMB cautioned us back in February that any legislative action has to proceed with caution. That is what we are doing when we're looking at the price tag.

Republicans have always supported roads, bridges, wastewater, some of those things that help our communities all the way across the state. When we're looking at putting together this bonding bill, it has to be heavy in infrastructure. It can't have nonprofits and wasted money. There was a lot of that last year that was questionable.

In the record bonding bill that we passed last year, over $2 billion, there was a lot of questionable spending there. This needs to be very heavy in infrastructure. Republicans have been exchanging offers with Democrats, and we are just waiting to hear if the majority is serious about getting down to the details, and wanting to work out something in these last few days of session.

CATHY WURZER: You've mentioned working out with-- you mentioned the term working with Republicans. I'm wondering, what does that mean, specifically?

LISA DEMUTH: The four leaders have met about three times talking about the input into the bonding bill, and then Republicans, we have been very clear about wanting to work with the majority to actually pass things off the House floor that will make its way through the Senate, and then go to the governor to become law. That is not what we're seeing. We still continue to see heavy partisan bills coming forward that have no chance of passing in the Senate or making it to the governor.

The other thing that we were very concerned about yesterday is the week before we had passed the religious exemption to the Department of Human Rights bill. We had passed that complete green board in the House and the Senate that would restore the religious exemption to the human rights when it comes to gender. That we thought was making its way to the governor, and we became aware yesterday that neither the House or Senate leadership had signed the enrollment, and it had not made its way to the governor.

That did add to the discussion and the length of it on the conference committee report, and eventually Speaker Hortman did sign that enrollment last night. It is making its way through the Senate, and we hope, as promised, a four leader agreement that was signed on this particular piece. We hope that will make it to the governor for his signature before this session closes out.

CATHY WURZER: So it sounds like you have some muscle here that you can flex in the final days, and I'm wondering, your priorities for ending this session. You're going to have a news conference here later this afternoon on that. What might be your top two or three priorities that Republicans would feel good about if they passed?

LISA DEMUTH: Sure. I think as we look at it, I don't know that it's even so much about flexing muscle, but it's representing all Minnesotans. And that has not been the case, and so we are using whatever tools we have available to really represent millions of Minnesotans that feel like their voices have been shut out.

Again, spending is a concern, but we know that bonding is a priority. We would like to see work done on that bonding bill. That would be one of our priorities.

The sports betting bill is out right now. It is scheduled, calendared for the House tomorrow, but unless Democrats are going to work with Republicans, right now, if that were to be up today, that would not pass. Now if Republicans start working with-- if Democrats start working with Republicans, we are happy to start moving things through.

CATHY WURZER: And when it comes to the sports betting bill, working with Republicans might mean including the racetracks in a deal?

LISA DEMUTH: I think all voices, when it comes to sports betting in Minnesota, need to be taken under consideration. That has been part of the conversation over the last year and longer.

CATHY WURZER: What's your message, Madam Leader, to DFLers if they don't agree to some of your conditions?

LISA DEMUTH: I think it's-- bring Republicans to the table. Let us be a part of the conversations, and let's work together to close this session out. With the controversy that's in the Senate right now, we would like to see bipartisan bills passed in the House and Senate, but again, we are mostly seeing just partisan priorities passed by the majority.

CATHY WURZER: And, of course, when you say the controversy in the Senate, you're talking about DFL Senator Nicole Mitchell.

LISA DEMUTH: Yes. That she is still allowed to vote and pass definite partisan bills when a bill passes out of the Senate 3433, that is not bipartisan, and that brings more heat to that controversy.

CATHY WURZER: Before we go, I'm just curious, I know that EMS funding is a big issue for Republicans-- Emergency Medical Services. There's obviously a serious situation, a crisis in greater Minnesota. Could that be something-- bonding votes for EMS funding, how might that work, do you think, in the waning days here?

LISA DEMUTH: That is definitely one of the conditions that we would like to see is that there would be meaningful funding put toward EMS, and that is part of public safety. That's what keeps all of our communities safe. So when any Minnesotan is up at the North Shore or in the southern part of the state, wherever, if they call 911, they need a response. And we know with inadequate funding for EMS, that puts those response times longer, and it's unsafe for all Minnesotans. So, yes, EMS funding is part of the discussions we are having with the majority when it comes to bonding.

CATHY WURZER: Can everything get done, do you think, by the end of session? Because really, it's just a few days away, and these bills have to get passed, of course, and printed and that kind of thing. Do you think all this can be done in just a few days?

LISA DEMUTH: If we looked at what was bipartisan and what the actual needs of the state are, rather than the extra things that aren't going to make their way through, I think it can be done. Again, bringing Democrats and Republicans together is the best place to start. But I do believe that we can get some of these critical things, bonding, EMS funding, potentially sports betting. The Uber-Lyft issue is still out there. We have not been brought into those conversations, though.

CATHY WURZER: All right. I appreciate your time. I know you're busy. Thank you so much.

LISA DEMUTH: Thank you. Good to talk with you.

CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to Minnesota House Minority Leader Representative Lisa Demuth of Cold Spring.