‘You’re not invited’: Reinsurance committee recesses for talks with ‘some members’

March 25--A joint House-Senate committee negotiating a bill to try to stabilize the state's individual health insurance market recessed to continue its talks in private -- and intentionally excluded some of that committee's members.

Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston, was chairing the committee Friday, and after more than an hour of discussion and testimony Friday afternoon announced that they would "go into recess with some various members" to discuss the bill.

Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick and one of the committee's 10 members, asked for clarification.

"In this break you mentioned you would be gathering together with some members. I was not notified of any of that," Lourey said. "Would I be included in those some members?"

"If you haven't been contacted then you're not included," Davids replied.

"I will be included," Lourey insisted.

Davids reiterated that he wouldn't, because of the Legislature's open meetings rules that trigger when enough members of a committee are together.

"There will not be three members from each body meeting at all. I'm going to go around and do some visiting," Davids said. "We're not getting together behind the scenes as a conference committee, we will not break open meeting laws -- and you're not invited."

The committee adjourned after just under an hour in recess. It will reconvene on Monday.

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