NAYS, THE BILL DOES NOT PASS.

♪♪ >> Mary: WELL, NOW WE HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT PERSON FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, BECAUSE HE CHAIRS THE COMMITTEE, IT'S THE LAST STOP, THE MOST IMPORTANT STOP, IT'S HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS, PAUL TORKELSON IS THE CHAIR.

WELL, CHAIR, YOU SAW, YOU'RE GETTING USED TO, IT'S KIND OF GROUNDHOG DAY IN THE HOUSE, A LOT OF VOTES GOING UP PARTY LINE, AND PARTY LINE DOESN'T GET YOU A BILL INTO LAW.

>> WELL, THAT'S TRUE.

YOU KNOW, WE ARE IN THE MOST UNUSUAL SESSION I'VE EVER SERVED IN IN THE MINNESOTA HOUSE.

>> Mary: AND YOU'VE SERVED FOR A WHILE.

>> AND I'VE SERVED, THIS IS NIGH NINTH TERM, SO I'VE BEEN AROUND A WHILE.

YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT IT LIKE A THREE-ACT PLAY.

THE FIRST ACT, THERE WERE NO DEMOCRATS ON THE STAGE.

THE SECOND ACT, NOW WE HAVE THIS 67-66 MAJORITY, BUT, OF COURSE, IT'S NOT ENOUGH REPUBLICAN MEMBERS TO ACTUALLY PASS BILLS OFF THE HOUSE FLOOR.

AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A THIRD ACT THAT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW NOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE THERE'S A SPECIAL ELECTION OMING, COULD GIVE US A 68-VOTE MAJORITY, COULD PUT US INTO A TIE.

WE'VE PREPARED FOR THE TIE, IF IT IS TIED, WE'LL HAVE CO-CHAIRS AND EQUAL NUMBERS ON THE COMMITTEES.

BUT, THAT, TOO IS SOMETHING WE'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE.

>> Mary: SO, DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP SPINNING THE SAME WAY UNTIL THAT MARCH -- MARCH 11 SPECIAL ELECTION THAT'S STILL A WAYS AWAY, DOES IT STILL -- A BILL COMES UP AND FAILS, A BILL COMES UP AND FAILS?

>> WELL, WE'RE HOPING THAT EEMPLET SOME DEMOCRAT WILL REALIZE THAT SOME OF THESE BILLS ARE VALID, IMPORTANT BILLS THAT SHOULD PASS AND WE'LL SEE SOME ACTUALLY PASS OFF THE HOUSE FLOOR.

EVENTUALLY SOME DEMOCRAT WILL REALIZE.

>> Mary: ARE THEY GETTING LANGUAGE IN BILLS ENOUGH?

YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE, YOU HAVE PASSED BILLS AND CHAIRED COMMITTEES WHERE YOU HAD TO BUILD THE BIPARTISAN SUPERMAJORITY.

>> YES.

>> Mary: YOU'VE DONE IT.

>> YES.

>> Mary: IT'S NOT HAPPENING NOW.

>> AT THE MOMENT IT'S NOT.

I THINK WE AS REPUBLICANS HAVE SOME PENT-ENERGY, WE'VE BEEN IN THE MINORITY FOR SIX YEARS, BEEN UNDER THE TRIFECTA FOR TWO YEARS.

I WAS VICE CHAIR OF THE ELECTIONS COMMITTEE, COULDN'T EVEN GET A BILL HEARD IN ELECTIONS LAST BIENNIUM.

SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BRING FORTH OUR IDEAS AND PRESENT THEM TO THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

THAT'S AN IMPORTANT EXERCISE IN AND OF ITSELF.

ALSO, I DO BELIEVE WE WILL SEE SOME OF THESE BILLS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, THAT DO HAVE SOME BIPARTISAN SUPPORT COMING TO THE FLOOR AS WE GET TOWARD THE END OF THIS PERIOD.

>> Mary: YEAH, YOU ADMITTED PART OF WHAT I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU ABOUT, HOW MUCH IS THIS A REACTION TO THE TRIFECTA AND REPUBLICANS FEELING LIKE THEY WEREN'T HEARD AND DIDN'T GET BILLS.

IS THIS GOING TO BE A WHILE YET, IS MAKING UP FOR THAT?

>> WELL, IF YOU WATCH IN COMMITTEES, YOU SEE THE BILLS THAT ARE BEING HEARD AND, YES, IT'S BRINGING REPUBLICAN IDEAS FORWARD SO THAT THEY GET A HEARING AND THEY ARE PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC IN A WAY THAT THEY HAVE SOME REAL VALIDITY.

>> Mary: THE SPECIAL ELECTION IS IN A DISTRICT THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE VERY WELL IN.

I KNOW SPECIAL ELECTIONS CAN BE UNPREDICTABLE AND TRANGE.

BUT IF YOU GO BACK TO A TIE, WHICH IS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE BEFORE, ARE RELATIONSHIPS DAMAGED NOW?

IS IT GOING TO BE HARD TO BUILD THOSE 68 VOTES NECESSARY?

>> WELL, FIRST, I HAVE TO SAY, I DON'T TAKE THAT ELECTION FOR GRANTED.

>> Mary: YEAH.

>> I'VE MET PAUL WICKSTROM, HE'S A FINE CANDIDATE, AND I KNEW THE GUY IN BLOOMINGTON, WHOSE NAME ESCAPES ME RIGHT NOW THAT WON A SPECIAL ELECTION -- >> Mary: OH, THIS IS ANN LENCZEWSKI'S BACK IN THE DAY WHERE IT WAS A DFL DISTRICT, OKAY, YUP, REMEMBER THAT.

>> IT WAS UNEXPECTED THAT REPUBLICANS WOULD WIN AND WE DID WIN.

WE'RE NOT TAKING THIS FOR GRAND.

>> Mary: YOU DID A FUND-RAISER, RECENTLY, TOO?

THERE'S INTEREST.

>> YEAH, A LOT OF DOOR KNOCKING, A LOT OF PHONE CALLING.

WE'LL SEE.

I KNOW THAT SOME DEMOCRATS ARE DISSATISFIED IN SOME WAYS.

SO THIS IS THEIR CHANCE TO SPEAK, SEND A MESSAGE TO THEIR CAUCUS THAT AYBE THINGS AREN'T SO ROSY.

>> Mary: LET'S DO A COMPARISON TO THE SENATE.

WE HAVE SENATORS IN THE WINGS THAT WILL BE ON IN JUST A MOMENT.

THEY'RE DOING BIPARTISAN BILLS.

THEY'RE GETTING ALONG.

THEY CO-CHAIRED.

BILLS ARE PASSING OVER THERE, WHAT'S GOING ON?

>> THE DYNAMICS ARE DIFFERENT, RIGHT?

THEY STARTED OUT TIED.

BUT EVERYONE KNEW PRETTY WELL THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A DEMOCRAT MAJORITY, BACK TO THE SITUATION THEY'VE BEEN IN.

WE STARTED OUT WITH A REPUBLICAN MAJORITY.

AND WE'RE LIKELY TO END TIED.

NOW, I MEET REGULARLY WITH MY POTENTIAL CO-CHAIR, ZACK STEVENSON, WE JUST MET AGAIN THIS MORNING.

WE ARE ESTABLISHING A RELATIONSHIP, AND WORKING BIPARTISANLY ALREADY.

BUT WE WON'T HAVE TO DO THE HARD BIPARTISAN WORK UNTIL WE KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THIS ELECTION.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT YOUR SENATE COUNTERPART, IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT STRUCTURE IN THE SENATE, THE PATHWAY TO THE FLOOR, BUT IS THAT A RELATIONSHIP YOU'VE WORKED ON?

>> OF COURSE IT IS.

I WAS IN SENATOR JOHN MARTY'S OFFICE YESTERDAY MORNING.

SO TRYING TO KEEP THESE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN BECAUSE, AFTER ALL, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS HERE, WE HAVE A VERY EVENLY DIVIDED LEGISLATURE HERE IN MINNESOTA.

IT IS SO CLOSE.

IT IS SO CLOSE THAT WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO BOTH SIDES.

>> Mary: LAST QUESTION.

MARTY'S GOING TO BE TALKING, DOING A PRESS CONFERENCE TOMORROW ON THE IMPACT OF NOT JUST PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FEDERAL FREEZE, BUT ALSO REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS MAKING THE MINNESOTA BUDGET VERY DIFFICULT.

ARE YOU FRUSTRATED WITH WHAT'S COMING OUT OF D.C., FRANKLY?

>> WELL, MY TAKE ON D.C. IS THAT A LOT OF SPAGHETTI IS BEING THROWN AGAINST THE WALL RIGHT NOW.

BUT IT'S OT ALL GOING TO STICK.

AND WE DON'T KNOW WHICH PIECES OF SPAGHETTI ARE GOING TO STICK.

WE HAVE A BUDGET TO PUT TOGETHER, BASED ON THE SITUATION HERE IN MINNESOTA.

THAT WAS CREATED BY THE WORK THAT WAS DONE BY THE TRIFECTA LAST BIENNIUM.

WE HAVE A HUGE DEFICIT AHEAD OF US.

THE BEST THING WE CAN DO, IF WE WANT TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES, IS PUT MORE MONEY ON THE BOTTOM LINE.

SO WE HAVE SOME MONEY TO SPEND.

>> Mary: MIGHT BE TOUGH TO DO ON TIME.