ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Tuesday, the State and Local Government and Veterans Committee heard testimony by Senator Steve Cwodzinski (DFL-Eden Prairie) in support of his bill (SF 1220) to create a timeline for the Senate to confirm commissioners in future legislative sessions. If passed, future senates would have 60 legislative days to reject an appointment, or the commissioner would be automatically confirmed.
“Politics is getting in the way of the most qualified candidates picked by the president or by the governor, in our case,” said Senator Cwodzinski. “In recent years, nominees (have been) voted on because of their politics and their philosophies, rather than their qualifications… What I hope to come out of this is simply this: That we, as senators, take care that our role as accountability does not morph into weaponizing the confirmation process.”
In the first six weeks of the 2023 session, the Senate has confirmed more commissioners than in the past six years combined.
The committee moved to lay over SF 1220 for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.
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