State Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, released a statement today after House Democrats allowed two votes to fail on the House floor. With a 54-54 partisan split, the House has been unable to pass legislation while Democrats refuse to negotiate with Republicans.

“The Democrat Caucus is a tale of two parties. On the House floor, we hear them complain when we don’t work in a bipartisan way, but behind the scenes, they’re steamrolling their radical agenda through the committee process. Just look at the House Natural Resources committee; they’re doing everything they can to strip legislative oversight over state departments that seek to impose burdensome requirements on our communities. They’re currently considering a plan that would give the Department of Energy, Great Lakes, and Energy power akin to lawmaking without legislative oversight. Republicans are not given any sincere consideration to discuss the devasting impact these changes could have on rural areas.

“I voted no today because the speaker reneged on a promise he made last fall to pass bipartisan legislation in exchange for votes. The agreement happened, handshakes were made, and he has yet to fulfill his end of the bargain. The political games have to end. We are more than willing to work in a bipartisan fashion if Democrats end their blockade and agree to work collaboratively with us on the issues that matter most.”

###