Liam Conner
ST. PAULO, Min. – After delays due to prolonged debates on other legislationThe Minnesota House on Sunday approved an amendment that would enshrine equal rights in the state constitution, including protections for LGTBQ Minnesotans and abortion rights.
The Equal Rights Amendment states that “the state shall not discriminate against any person in intent or effect because of” race, color, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity. It also protects “the making and enforcement of decisions on all matters relating to one’s own pregnancy or the decision to become or remain pregnant,” which would reinforce the right to abortion.
If approved in the Senate, the question of amending the constitution will go to voters in 2026.
Final passage in the House came six days after DFL leaders promised the measure would be voted on. A Republican filibuster delayed the discussion until Friday, and over the weekend they paused the debate to pass other bills and then restarted it, before it finally passed the House on Sunday morning.
“We want to make sure that as miners we value each other by prohibiting discrimination. We must codify the protections in the Constitution,” said Rep. Kaohly Vang Her, DFL-St. Paul, the author of the proposal, said. “Jurisprudence and statutes are subject to political winds and the composition of judges’ political leanings. Rights should not depend on these changes.”
Republicans condemn the addition of abortion rights protections, which were not included in the ERA that the Senate passed last year with bipartisan support. They believe there should be two separate issues before voters – one about equal rights and one about abortion.
Members of the Republican Party also raised concerns about the exclusion of “age” and “religion” from the protected classes listed in the amendment.
“Groups of people who are protected in our Human Rights Law were left out of the constitutional amendment,” said Rep. Anne Neu Brindley, R-North. “Democrats have literally chosen to purposely leave groups of people out of the protection of the Constitution.”
Several amendments to add or change the scope of the ERA – such as sex-based protections only – failed to gain enough support to pass.
The ERA will now be sent back to the Minnesota Senate, where its fate is unknown. DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy was noncommittal Friday that her caucus — which has just a one-seat majority — supports the new language moving in the House.
“I want to see what they approve to know if we can support it. We’ve spent a lot of time on the new language. We’ve had a lot of conversations as members about what it means,” she told reporters Friday. morning. “So let’s see what they do. Let’s see if they accept amendments and we’ll make a decision after that.”
Before voters can weigh in, the measure needs to be approved by the Senate with just hours left before the legislature adjourns for the regular session on Monday. But lawmakers only have until just before midnight Sunday to pass the legislation.
The rest of the agenda in the final hours is in question after a 10-hour Senate recess on Sunday as leaders worked to reach a deal. last-minute deal to pay drivers more and stop Uber and Lyft from leaving the state. That prevented them from passing other bills that Democrats in charge want to cross off their list this year.
Murphy on Saturday night did not answer how his caucus would resolve the remaining bills before they are finished and Gov. Tim Walz did not say whether a special session was in the works. Among the proposals in doubt are legislation that legalizes sports betting and a bond law supporting local infrastructure projects – which needs a three-fifths majority to pass, requiring Republican support.
GOP leaders said they wanted the DFL to reverse course on the ERA and other controversial bills to get your vote on the call. But House Speaker Melissa Hortman said Thursday Democrats would not negotiate with the change of equal rights.
“If Republicans are conditioning their support of our bond law on the denial of civil rights to [transgender] Minnesotans, so we won’t have a bail bill,” she said.
Caroline Cummings
