Skraba takes aim at House Dems Decorum, mining and fraud take center stage early in St. Paul
State Rep. Roger Skraba didn’t hold back after his first two weeks back in St. Paul and House Democrats were his target.
The Ely lawmaker has worn bipartisanship almost as a badge of honor, touting his cooperation with State Sen. Grant Hauschild (D) on numerous issues of local interest.
But the opening week of the legislative session resulted in stinging words from Skraba, who blasted Democrats in the House for their decorum - and for what he charged was an unwillingness to seriously combat fraud issues that have bedeviled the administration of outgoing Gov. Tim Walz.
“They thought it was some parliament where you do whatever you want,” said Skraba, who said Democrats were “hollering and screaming,” and shouting down speakers during the session’s opening week. “You’re there as leaders. You’re there as representatives, not activists, so act like a representative.”
Skraba’s comments came during an interview on the Ely Echo’s weekly podcast “The Pulse of Ely.”
Proposals to establish an independent inspector general to investigate fraud matters was also on Skraba’s mind.
Skraba contends that Republicans want “an independent third party” to be in charge and (Democrats) “want nothing to do with it.”
“Why would we let the person who is going to be investigated pick who is going to investigate them and not have any law en-
