House GOP to File Ethics Complaint Against DFL Rep Falconer

ST. PAUL, MN — House Republicans announced Monday that an ethics complaint will be filed against Democrat Rep. Alex Falconer, DFL-Eden Prairie, following a bombshell report highlighting the extensive ethically questionable ties between Falconer and Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW). 

“Rep. Falconer is effectively a legislator lobbyist,” said Rep. Isaac Schultz, R-Elmdale Township. “He was employed as a lobbyist until days before he took the oath of office, swapped his job title, and continues to push legislation supported by the very people who are signing his paycheck.” 

According to publicly available lobbyist reports and today’s report by AlphaNews, Falconer terminated his lobbyist registration on December 31, 2024, days before taking the oath of office. His updated economic interest statement lists Falconer as a “senior advisor” for NMW, but notably does not mention his employment with Save the Boundary Waters, another lobbyist organization for whom Falconer serves as Federal Government Relations Manager. 

Falconer has introduced numerous bills supported by NMW and Save the Boundary Waters, including legislation that has been part of direct lobbying efforts by both organizations. 

Legislators have faced similar scrutiny for ethically questionable links between their employment and their legislative business; in 2020, former State Rep. Kaohly Her came under fire for carrying legislation supported by the City of St. Paul where she was employed as a top policy aide to former Mayor Melvin Carter.