St. Paul, Minnesota — House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson released a statement following reports that Reps. Engen and Hudson will be removed from their committee assignments:
“House Committees will only meet for eight more days this session. This isn’t even a slap on the wrist. Reps. Engen and Hudson didn’t want to be in committee in the first place; they wanted to go to the bar. On March 25, Reps. Engen and Hudson even voted to end the entire legislative session early, effectively saying they don’t want anything to get done this year. They wanted to pack it up and go home. They’re clearly not interested in doing their jobs. Removing them from committees effectively gives them what they want.
“It has been more than a week since Rep. Engen was arrested, and we still have more questions than answers:
- Were Rep. Engen and Rep. Hudson intoxicated during the House floor session on Thursday, when votes were taken on critical public safety measures?
- Minnesotans who are permit-to-carry holders commit a misdemeanor if they carry with a BAC over 0.04. Permit holders convicted of this misdemeanor have their permit suspended or revoked for at least six months. Rep. Hudson clearly violated the law. Will Rep. Hudson voluntarily forfeit his permit?
- Was Rep. Hudson carrying a firearm on the House floor during the debate on gun violence prevention? And if so, was he too intoxicated (above .04%) to legally carry?
- The police report describing Rep. Engen’s arrest notes that police found a bottle of alcohol in a child’s car seat — was the bottle open?
- And who was the other passenger in the car? The public and their constituents deserve to know more than the basics we’ve heard so far."