St. Paul, MN – Today, House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman announced a bipartisan power-sharing agreement that allowed the Minnesota House to begin conducting business during today’s session. Rep. Cheryl Youakim (DFL-Hopkins) released the following statement:
“This common-sense power sharing agreement is what Democrats and Minnesotans have been asking for all along. We fought for and secured our biggest goal – a power-sharing agreement that ensures Rep. Brad Tabke can serve the term to which he was elected, and prevents Republicans from throwing out an election in the future just because they don’t like the result.
I look forward to continuing working alongside our neighbors in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina to build a state where we invest in Minnesotans and an economy that works for everyone.”
St. Paul, MN – Amid reports that the Trump Administration is preparing to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, State Representatives Cheryl Youakim (DFL – Hopkins) and Sydney Jordan (DFL – Minneapolis), the respective DFL Chairs for the Minnesota House’s Education Finance and Education Policy Committees, released the following statement:
“It’s no secret that the Trump Administration is trying to drastically cut or fully eliminate the U.S. Department of Education – which would be the latest in a pattern of harmful, irresponsible actions that only serve to create confusion for our schools and negatively impact students and families. In Minnesota, we’ve made exceptional progress in fostering an enriching and diverse learning environment for our students. We will continue to work with our Senate DFL counterparts, as well as the Minnesota Department of Education, to protect that progress and partner with our schools for whatever obstacles await.”
Earlier this week, President Trump announced a federal funding freeze, effectively shutting off funding for law enforcement, senior citizens, farmers, schools, veterans, and health care. While President Trump has said the funding freeze is temporary as his agencies look over individual programs, it is deeply concerning for the chaos that the breadth of the Executive Order caused during the first 24 hours.
As you can imagine, there has been an enormous amount of work evolving hour by hour this week. It will still take significant time and resources to identify the scope of this action on state programs and staff. Although the federal action has been temporarily paused, I continue to work collaboratively with federal, state, and local partners to understand this order and identify how this impacts our state, county, city, and school district services.
In other national events, my heart goes out to the families and friends who lost their lives in the tragic air collision in Washington, D.C. The stories that are beginning to filter out are heartbreaking.
February 1 Community Conversation Rescheduled
My community conversation that was originally set for this Saturday, February 1 at the Hopkins Library has been rescheduled due to a family funeral. I’ve rescheduled it for Saturday, February 8 at 12:00-1:30 p.m. and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. I look forward to seeing you next weekend!
Renter’s Property Tax Refund is Now an Income Tax Credit
Tax season is upon us. As we prepare to file, I’d like to remind renters that they no longer have to apply for a property tax refund on a separate form and wait until September or later to receive a refund. The legislature converted the renter’s refund to a direct income tax credit that now will be processed at the same time as income tax returns. In addition to accelerating the refund timeline, the change uses a new definition of income to calculate the credit amount, meaning more renters will now qualify for the credit and those who were already eligible will see larger refunds.
Landlords have until Jan. 31, 2025, to send renters a Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) form, which indicates the percentage of rent paid toward property taxes that year.
Enter the information from your CRP on your income tax return when prompted.
The Renter’s Credit total will either be part of your income tax refund amount or be applied to the amount owed on your income tax return for most taxpayers.
Find more information on the Renter’s Credit, including what to do if your landlord does not supply a CRP by Jan. 31, on the Department of Revenue’s website: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/renters-credit
If you need help with tax preparation, please visit the Department of Revenue website to find Vita site locations that offer free tax preparation help.
Update from the Minnesota House of Representatives
Here’s an update on what’s going on in the Minnesota House of Representatives. On Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that the House Republican attempted power grab of the last two weeks violated our state constitution. Every GOP action, including the election of a Speaker, appointment of committees, bill introductions, and hearings were unlawful and illegitimate. In November, voters elected an equal number of Democrats and Republicans to represent them in the House. Now, it’s time for the GOP to start working together with Democrats to develop a fair power-sharing agreement so we can return to the Capitol to govern as Minnesotans intended.
In addition to honoring the will of the voters across the state, Republicans also must respect the results of the election in Shakopee where voters elected DFLer Brad Tabke to represent them. Instead, Republicans are refusing to seat him, which would disenfranchise 22,000 voters. The reason they want to do this is simple: to control the MN House for the next two years to advance their agenda, including taking away reproductive freedoms, eliminating paid family leave, rolling back progress to address climate change, and ending free school meals for kids.
House DFLers will not allow Republicans to overturn an election simply because they can. Never before has a legislator been kicked out when they have done nothing wrong, and to do so would gravely subvert the free and fair elections Minnesotans expect. Rep. Tabke won on election night, won in a recount, and won in court. DFLers look forward to returning to the Capitol once we have an agreement with Republicans that respects the will of the voters.
As we await a compromise, I continue to work directly for our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors in the district, and working on legislation in preparation for setting the state budget for the next two years.
On Saturday, I have great conversations at three different events in Hopkins and St Louis Park. Started at the Depot Coffee House for a City of Hopkins Climate Action and Resiliency Plan kick-off, I hosted one of my many Community Conversations at the SLP Library, and finished with Rep. Larry Kraft talking to a great group of St Louis Park LWV members at their annual chili luncheon. Thanks all of the great questions and to everyone who showed up to participate!
Thank you Rep. Julie Greene for taking a photo of our Monday morning meeting with bonding Chair Fue Lee and the City of Edina regarding their 2025 bonding bill proposal. That was followed by a meeting with school Superintendents from Blue Earth County, a meeting MNFire, and an Ed Finance overview with our team.
Thank you to the hard working county workers for the tour of the Hennepin County Ridgedale Service Center Tuesday morning! I followed that with a meeting with multiple stakeholders to make sure our schools can retain their highly qualified paras and on other education bills. Finished the evening with thoughtful constituents at the Edina Library and a robust discussion around issues from education funding to supporting our seniors experiencing fraud. A big thank you to those who attended the second of my multiple Community Conversations!
I spent half my day Wednesday meeting with legislative colleagues regarding what the loss of Federal funds thru Trump’s Executive Orders would do to everyday Minnesotans from farmers to local law enforcement and from public schools to our veterans. The other half of the day was spent talking with groups about their legislative priorities and the work they are doing. Great discussion with Agricultural Teachers, Adult Basic Ed programs, Minnesota Business Partners on tax policy, and President of the Hennepin County paramedics.
On another note, one of the favorite parts of my job is making connections between people who need support and those who can support them. I had the chance to meet with Vicky Bachmann at MATTER in St. Louis Park Wednesday. They have durable medical supplies that are expired, but are still usable for education purposes. MATTER https://www.matter.ngo/ has helped local schools, including Hopkins High School, get equipment for their CNA programs and they wanted to connect with more education programs. I was able to help with that. Being able to do little things like that make all the long hours worthwhile.
I started Thursday at Cream & Amber on Hopkins Mainstreet with Police Chief Johnson discussing the staffing needs of the department and a state grant that has helped them with those who want a mid-career change into law enforcement. That was followed by an intriguing visit with founder of Prisms VR on interactive ways to teach math and science. Then a zoom meeting with the Minnesota Business Partnership to talk education.
Rep. Larry Kraft and I attended an amazing event Thursday night put by the Youth for Change Coalition on Mental Health & Wellness! It was sponsored by Children’s First in SLP and included student artwork focused on what mental health and wellness meant to them. An impressive group of students who have formed the Youth for Change Coalition presented their well researched data around student mental health along with their action plan on improving their peers mental health. And Dr. Michael Rodriguez, from the University of Minnesota provided comments and moderated a student discussion followed by community participation in a table top exercise on lessons learned and next steps.
Thank you, State Representative Mike Freiberg for inviting me to hang out in a Robbinsdale ECFE class! It was a great way to start the day by watching great teachers in action. And, thank you to the parents for letting us join the parent education class. ECFE holds a special place in my heart, it gave me the tools to be a better mom.
Thursday night, I ran into these amazing Hopkins City and School leaders at the Hopkins State of the City Thursday evening. Thank you for your public service Hopkins City Council Members Heidi Garrido, Brian Hunke, and Hopkins Schoolboard Member Brooke Ann Roper!
Hopkins State of the City was informative & entertaining as always! Info about the city’s year interspersed with the Mayor and Council eating wings with eight levels of spice, ala Hot Ones. But, the largest draw was the amazing food donated and served by our local restaurants before the show. Thank you to city staff who pulled this all together and our local restaurants who participated!
Superintendent Marcia Dowd gave me a peek into their teacher apprenticeship program at Intermediate District 287 on Friday morning. This is a program that our four metro intermediate districts came together to create in conjunction with Mankato State. In the 2024 Education Finance budget, we were able to make an investment to start up this program that will get more qualified Special Education teachers into our classrooms.
Community Conversations
As a reminder, I have more community conversations scheduled for February. Feel free to pick a day and location that works for you; I hope to see you soon!
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889. Thank you for the honor of serving our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors in the Minnesota Legislature.
It was a busy week in the district, meeting with constituents, advocates, and community organizations that are doing great work for our residents of House District 46B. I have also been meeting with legislative members and staff to work on legislation as well as education organizations this week.
Here’s an update from the Minnesota House:
Tuesday, January 21st marked one week since a court ruled that Rep. Brad Tabke duly won his election and we’ve finished the week with no reassurance from GOP leadership that they wouldn’t overturn that free and fair election results. In fact, one of their legislators actually publicly stated that the first course of action in the House should be to kick out Representative Tabke. When an election result is upheld on election night, in a public recount, and in a court ruling, it’s time for the losing side to concede. That is how our democracy works. It is imperative that we have assurances from GOP leadership that Rep. Brad Tabke will be duly seated.
House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman held a press conference on Tuesday this week urging House GOP Leader Lisa Demuth to return to the negotiating table so we can do the work the people of Minnesota elected us to do. I’ve been ready to do so; Minnesotans expect their state government to function, and they deserve to have a robust and collaborative legislative session that delivers results for our communities.
Our work as legislators extends beyond the State Capitol building itself; some of the best work and ideas about how to keep Minnesotans moving forward are formed in the communities we were elected to represent and find solutions for. Here’s a look at who I connected with this week:
On Monday, we honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This summer, My husband Jacques and I had a chance to visit Washington D.C. and tour the monuments. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stands strong, looking at the horizon towards a hopeful future. We’ve made progress on his dream, but there is still much to do.
A huge thank you to Captain Scott Vadnais for allowing me to ride along with a crew of Edina Fire Fighter/Paramedics Monday evening! It’s clear your team has knowledge, compassion, and dedication to the community and the region. Of course, I forgot to take a picture with the whole crew when we had dinner together. But, here is a picture taken with Captain Scott Vadnais & Fire Fighter/Paramedic John Meyer 15 hours into their 24 hour shift when I got to leave and go home to sleep. Thank you for your service!
Tuesday, I had great conversation with constituent David Homan from Citizen Climate Lobby. I met with folks from the Education Partnership Coalition regarding their legislative platform and providing more access across the state. I also had a discussion regarding Full-Service Community Schools grants with the Minnesota Department of Education. And I finished the day with a conversation with Matt Shaver from Ed Allies about what they are focusing on this year for students across our state.
Wednesday, I finished a long day of meetings centered on teachers and education funding at Hopkins Vail Place listening to inspirational stories shared by clubhouse members. Members from the two other Vail Place sites in Minneapolis and Ramsey joined us as well. The http://vailcommunities.org model empowers mental wellness through community, purpose, and opportunity. Vail Place’s staff helps their members find jobs, housing, and mental health support. Members run the clubhouse through an advisory council and board that hosts social activities, cooks meals together, provides peer to peer support, and much more. Members and staff are breaking the stigma around mental health every day. I am a proud author of a bill to help them expand across the state. A huge thank you to the members for sharing their stories and for your advocacy!
On Thursday, I shadowed Hopkins High School Principal Crystal Ballard. I visited the new CNA classroom where students can get training and hands on experience as a certified nurses aid so that when they turn 18 they can take the test to become licensed. I also attended a weekly district budget meeting with Principal Ballard. Then back to the high school to meet with an amazing group of students that shared their thoughts about their senior year experience. We finished in Mrs. Heimlich’s AVID class where students had a chance to hear from two Hopkins graduates about their college experience. Thank you Principal Ballad, for the opportunity to get just a glimpse of the work you are doing at Hopkins High School and to the students for sharing their thoughts!
Thank you House Capital Investment Co-Chair Fue Lee for taking a tour of St. Louis Park’s two bonding projects with Rep. Larry Kraft and me. City staff, Mayor Mohamed, and Council-members Dumalag and Brausen did a great job highlighting the environmental and safety needs the projects will address.
Friday morning, I started my day at the Edina School Legislative Action Coalition breakfast. A huge thank you for an informative meeting and the very thoughtful questions for Rep. Greene, Sen. Mann, and me, especially from the engaged students who are advocating for their peers and their schools. The rest of the day was filled with meetings with education chairs in the House and Senate, non-partisan staff, as well as a meeting with Beacon Interfaith Outreach on affordable housing and organization called Stride to discussion some education proposals they have.
A friendly reminder I’ll be hosting a community conversation tomorrow, January 25th at 11:30 a.m. at the St. Louis Park Library (3240 Library Ln, St. Louis Park, MN). Everyone from our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors are welcome to attend. I’ll be hosting more of these in the other cities (Hopkins and Edina) that encompass District 46B. I also have one Tuesday, January 28 at the Edina Library from 6:30-8:00 pm.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime with questions, or if I can help clarify any misinformation about what’s happening in St. Paul. I can be reached at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889.
I hope this email finds you well. It was a busy week and I’d like to give you an update on what’s going on at the Capitol and in our community.
I started the week off on Tuesday at the Edina Morningside Rotary with Rep Julie Greene, hearing from Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt. The Sheriff and her department are doing incredible work keeping us safe and connecting with the community!
On Tuesday, I also had the chance to meeting with folks from the folks at Education Evolving & Minneapolis Foundation. I love doing a deep dive into education policy, data collection, & the work both groups are doing to meet our students needs.
Wednesday, I joined Rep. Greene and other legislators on a tour of the Uptown Planned Parenthood clinic. We heard about all the medical services they provide in our communities, including, medical abortions, birth control, vasectomies, cancer screening, annual exams, vaccines, and more.
I had a chance to meet with St. Louis Park city staff to discuss upcoming legislation they are considering. And I appreciated connecting with Vail Place, a Hopkins mental health non-profit, to discuss a bill I will be authoring for them to expand their clubhouse model across the state.
Wednesday, I met with the Friends of the Boundary Waters to talk about their legislative platform. I was also able to engage in a productive conversation with the Land Stewardship Project & IATP (pictured below) about how our farm to school program has helped build the market for local farmers and provide students healthier food. I finished the day with three more meetings: an inspiring visit with Hopkins parent who’s advocating for more staff in our schools; a chat with Dr. Yelena Bailey at the Professional Educator Licensing Board regarding our teacher workforce ;and a briefing meeting on the fiscal note process with the Legislative Budget Office.
On Thursday evening, Principal Paddok and School Board Members Mancini and Cox gave Rep. Kraft and me a tour of the St. Louis Park High School’s recent renovations. The newly expanded cafeteria, the Link, the open library, and improved career center are well crafted. What a wonderful, enriching environment for learning!
Thursday morning, Rep. Larry Kraft invited me to Methodist hospital to talk about the DWI bill he is working on in response to the tragedy at Park Tavern. Thank you RN Melissa Frity and hospital President Jennifer Myster for empowering survivors with their stories and how you are supporting your staff.
My virtual meetings on Thursday included the folks from Youthprise – Afterschool Advance to discuss potential legislation. I also had a great meeting with Sabrina Scott, an incredible Hopkins High School student in the Propel program. She had great questions on political engagement, the legislature, and partisanship.
Friday morning began by attending the Hopkins Legislative Action Coalition (LAC) breakfast. This breakfast always feels like coming home. Being a member of the LAC was my first experience with political advocacy. Thank you to Principal Eromosele for the warm welcome and to Superintendent Mhiripiri-Reed for the send off. The student ProStart team made us breakfast, the cheesy sausage and grits were amazing! The LAC members did a good job advocating for more school funding and it was great to here from the student members of the LAC team. And of course, always love to hear teachers present. They bring so much passion and energy to their jobs.
Fridays are also the days I meet with education stakeholders. Sometimes we meet in one large group and at other times it is with the groups individually. Today I had my every other week meeting with the BELL group that is made up of organizations representing school boards, administrators, teachers, social workers, counselors, and other education groups from across the state that play a vital part in educating our students. I also worked on legislation and of course, answered constituent emails.
Capitol Update
On the first day of session (January 14th), in accordance with Minnesota law and our state’s Constitution, Secretary of State Simon was the lawful presiding officer, and continues to be the lawful presiding officer until the House is duly organized. Secretary Simon declared that 67 members were present and that this number did not constitute a quorum so he proceeded to adjourned the session for the day. House Republicans then acted unlawfully when they attempted to organize the Minnesota House, elect a Speaker, and take other actions in the absence of a quorum. I am very disappointed that the GOP is putting nonpartisan staff in this difficult position by requiring their assistance on the GOP’s unconstitutional operations.
These actions taken were said to be wrong by the Secretary of State in his press statement on January 14, 2025. Further, the Secretary of State sent to both DFL and GOP leadership on January 10, 2025 a letter where he clarifies that a quorum requires 68 as set forth in our State Constitution and previously upheld in law. This matter has now been sent to the Supreme Court for adjudication.
One of the unlawful actions Republicans have taken, that I’m especially concerned about would funnel your taxpayer dollars to pay for the GOP’s legal defense. That isn’t right. And so it seems that we find ourselves in a sort of a soft coup, and as a legislator who has served in the House for over 10 years, I can’t say I’ve ever experienced anything quite like this.
Negotiations on a power-sharing agreement continue. DFL-Leader Hortman’s recent offer amended the power-sharing agreement to provide Republicans with control of the House for the first three weeks of session, including the speakership and control of committees, with the power-sharing agreement resuming when the House returns to an anticipated 67-67 tie. In addition, it would refer election contests to the Ethics Committee and create an Oversight Committee with Republican control for two years, a sole Republican chair, and a permanent one-seat majority on that committee. I believe this is a more than reasonable solution and should be accepted so that all members of the Minnesota House can get back to focusing on the critical issues facing the state.
Just today, DFLers held a press conference to announce how we are prioritizing Minnesotans and lowering costs for them. You can read more about these initiatives here.
One of the unlawful actions Republicans have taken I’m especially concerned about would funnel your taxpayer dollars to pay for the GOP’s legal defense. That isn’t right.
And so it seems we find ourselves in a sort of a soft coup, and as a legislator who has served in the house for over 10 years, I can’t say I’ve ever experienced anything quite like this.
Negotiations on a power-sharing agreement continue. DFL-Leader Hortman’s recent offer amended the power-sharing agreement to provide Republicans with control of the House for the first three weeks of session, including the speakership and control of committees, with the power-sharing agreement resuming when the House returns to an anticipated 67-67 tie. In addition, it would refer election contests to the Ethics Committee and create an Oversight Committee with Republican control for two years, a sole Republican chair, and a permanent one-seat majority on that committee. I believe this is a more than reasonable solution and should be accepted so that all members of the Minnesota House can get back to focusing on the critical issues facing the state.
Community Conversations
Mark your calendars for my six upcoming community conversations that we be held at our local libraries. Find the date and time that works for you and I hope to see you there!
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out with questions, ideas, and input on how we can continue to move our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors. I can be reached at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or at 651-296-9889.
Thank you for the honor of representing you in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
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