Believe it or not, state lawmakers modeled a healthier approach to governance this session

At the Minnesota Legislature disagreement within a party caucus is often treated as a weakness Negotiations happen behind closed doors because caucus unity is prioritized But something extraordinary happened this year OK lots of uncommon things happened this year Specifically legislative leaders allowed various of their ideological differences to play out in citizens spaces And in doing so they modeled a healthier more transparent approach to governance Take the Senate floor debate over SF an attempt to revise Minnesota s earned sick and safe time law Lawmakers openly wrestled with the complexities of balancing worker protections with concerns raised by small business and family farms Republican members were all in patronage of the changes possibly because they d raised similar concerns when the bill was originally passed last biennium Specific DFLers supported modifications while others stood firm against them This wasn t dysfunction it was literally representative democracy in action The strong emotions and strong disagreements on display weren t new These debates have been going on for years behind closed doors But this was the first time in my newest memory that kind of bare-knuckles division within one caucus was highlighted on the floor In the aftermath I heard whispers from several Capitol-dwellers that Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy erred in letting the bill come to the floor I absolutely disagree By allowing that citizens debate she may have accidentally or intentionally thrown the big tent doors wide open Minnesotans who are ideologically closer to Seeberger Putnam Frentz DFLers than McEwen Maye Quade Fateh DFLers got a visual illustration that all of them are represented in the Senate and all have a place in the party Although the veiled threat of primary challenges and the use of the term shameful from Sen Jennifer McEwen shows that she may not personally agree with that position Party unity is so prized that bipartisanship is often discouraged on the same side of the aisle more than by members of the opposite party Bipartisan collaboration by design or by desire was also on display this year in an atypical way Consider the bipartisan collaboration that led to SF the Office of Inspector General In an era where political purity tests often prevent meaningful collaboration Democratic Sen Heather Gustafson and Republican Sen Michael Kruen have been visibly and consistently working together This kind of linked-arm partnership between members of both parties has been rare in prior years but it s exactly what governing should look like Their bill like SF didn t make it through the House before the regular legislative session ended But both bills will perhaps continue to be discussed throughout the special session runup and into next year Since all the bills introduced in the first year of a biennium carry over to the second year neither are truly dead yet Down the hall the - tie in the Minnesota House has made bipartisan collaboration a necessity While not every effort at cooperation has succeeded those who have embraced the challenge and worked in good faith deserve recognition Co-chair teams like Rep Ginny Klevorn DFL Rep Jim Nash R or Rep Spencer Igo R Rep Michael Howard DFL who successfully negotiated their omnibus bills despite major ideological differences are proving that governance isn t about rigid party loyalty it s about finding the votes that are constitutionally required to get any bill passed And as an accidental byproduct they re likely creating residents framework that is more stable more inclusive of voices across the state and more likely to survive future sessions no matter which party is in the majority next Shannon Watson Now Group House and Company Senate are specific in constituents particular behind the scenes working out compromises on the rest of the budget bills that will now have to be passed during a special session The ideological lines in those negotiations invariably get a little blurry and more so this year I m not sure that the inhabitants hearings are really producing better approach and more collaboration than the behind-the-scenes conversations are though They re definitely producing an audience for speeches and content for social media which might veritably be making the policymaking process worse For too long polarization has dominated our political landscape The expectation that parties must constantly move in lockstep has stifled honest debate and forced lawmakers into rigid ideological corners But governing isn t about purity it s about finding a middle ground that works for the majority of Minnesotans not the majority of one party Bills that receive both bipartisan encouragement and bipartisan opposition often reflect the true consensus of citizens They acknowledge that no single party has all the answers and that real solutions require negotiation adaptation and yes disagreement Minnesota s legislative leaders are showing courage by allowing these debates to unfold in citizens view They are proving that we can agree on chosen issues and disagree on others without resorting to political warfare This is what democracy should be messy thoughtful and driven by the pursuit of real solutions Shannon Watson is the executive director of Majority in the Middle a St Paul-based nonprofit The post Believe it or not state lawmakers modeled a healthier approach to governance this session appeared first on MinnPost