I hope you’ve had a good week. It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through June!
Here’s an update from the Capitol:
On Wednesday this week, Governor Walz announced Minnesota’s health care providers will be ready to vaccinate children 6 months and older against COVID-19 after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel voted to recommend vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for that age group.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) must first issue vaccination recommendations, which could happen this weekend. Following CDC’s recommendations, the federal government will then ship vaccine doses to providers in Minnesota. Federal officials expect the first doses to arrive in the state early next week, if the vaccine is authorized this weekend.
When the vaccines are available, families can do the following to find shots:
Contact your or your child’s primary health care provider or a local pharmacy.
Check for vaccine appointments at Vaccines.gov, where you can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
Watch for vaccination clinics being offered at other community locations around Minnesota.
Hometown Heroes Assistance Program Continues
Thanks to the advocacy of firefighters across the state and Minnesota Fire Initiative, this year the legislature passed a bill to extend the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program. This is a bipartisan program to provide free access to emotional trauma resources, up to $20,000 from critical illness insurance policies, and ongoing health and wellness training, including evidence-based suicide prevention strategies. This week, the Governor held a ceremonial bill signing event to celebrate its passage.
Our dedicated firefighters work hard every day to keep us safe and risk their own health and safety while they’re taking care of us. I’m glad we’re continuing to prioritize our firefighters’ physical and mental health with this initiative.
Juneteenth Event at Parktacular
A reminder about St. Louis Park’s Juneteenth celebration this Sunday, June 19th. Enjoy local food and business vendors and live music from noon- 4:00 p.m. Check out more details of the event here.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn or 651-296-9889 with questions or input. Email is the quickest way to get in touch.
I hope you’ve had a chance to enjoy our gorgeous start to June.
Here’s quick update from the Capitol:
Frontline Worker Bonus Pay Application is Open
This week on Wednesday, the online application system for frontline worker bonus pay was launched. It’s important to note that applications are not accepted on first come first serve basis; \workers will have until July 22 to apply. Over 200,000 applications have already been submitted. If you’re having any difficulties applying, please try first using a desktop device. You’re always welcome to contact me at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn if you have questions or need assistance.
Visit www.frontlinepay.mn.gov to see if you’re eligible and sign up to receive important updates.
Summer Events in the Community Save the Dates!
St. Louis Park’s Parktacular event kicks off next weekend running June 18 through the 19th. You can find the event information here.
Hopkins’ 88th Raspberry Festival will take place July 13-17. More information regarding the Grand Parade, how to nominate a Grand Marshal, and more can be found here.
Update on St. Louis Park Watermain Break
A few weeks ago, several of our St. Louis Park neighbors experienced a major watermain break and damage to their homes. I continue to be in touch with the City of St. Louis Park on their mitigation strategies to provide relief for homeowners. In the meantime, the City has created a dedicated website for affected residents to find up to date information.
As your state legislator, I want to make sure you have the state resources below that are available to you:
The Department of Commerce provides a Consumer Services Center that can assist homeowners, business owners and renters with insurance questions, claims and complaints. The best contact number is 651-539-1600. You should select “insurance” and you will be navigated to a Consumer Services Center staff members who will assist you.
Consumers who want to file a complaint about their insurer or if they feel like they’ve had a claim inappropriately denied can also file a complaint on the agency’s website.
Lastly, the department has a Disaster Response Guide, which contains information about flood insurance and sewer backups on pages seven and 8. It also has contact information for major insurers and tips for rebuilding once property owners get to that stage.
Free Park Entry this Saturday
Admission to state parks and recreation areas is free tomorrow! If you’d like to use this opportunity to explore a new spot, check out the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ ParkFinder tool. It has information about all 75 state parks and can help you find places with certain kinds of trails or facilities.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn or 651-296-9889 with questions or to let me know how I can be of assistance.
It’s an honor to represent you and our neighbors at the State Capitol.
I hope this finds you well. Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and after the week we’ve had, it doesn’t feel like we need a reminder. Gun violence is an epidemic we need to address, and I continue to advocate for common sense gun safety laws in Minnesota, like red flag laws and criminal background checks to name a few. Your advocacy and input for a safer state is critical. Please continue to have conversations with our neighbors, your state legislator, city elected officials, school board members, and members of Congress to demand the change we all deserve.
I #WearOrange today to support common sense gun violence prevention legislation. And to remember those who we’ve lost to gun violence. Our children don’t have to live in a country where there are more mass shootings than days on the calendar.
Here at the State Capitol, negotiations continue to establish parameters around a special session to complete our work. So far, Senate Republicans have been unwilling to come back to the table to deliver a tax bill, along with the $4 billion in investments that they agreed to weeks leading up to the end of session. I am encouraged House Speaker Hortman, Senate Majority Leader Miller, and Governor Walz are meeting today to discuss the possibilities.
June 11-Free State Park Entry Day
Save the date! All of Minnesota’s state parks have free entry next Saturday, June 11. Four times a year, and each season, a date for free entry is established. This is one of my favorite times of the year to get out and enjoy Minnesota’s gorgeous trails and natural environment. Click here to learn more and find a park to explore.
Congrats, Graduates!
Congratulations to all the 2022 graduates graduating from high school this year. I wish you much happiness on this special occasion. A special shout-out to the students from Hopkins and St. Louis Park schools as you celebrate your achievement!
You are entering into a period of life that offers you more freedom and opportunity than you have had before, but this also means facing a world of change and sometimes uncertainty. The challenge of meeting your new responsibilities can be rewarding and exciting. It is important to remember that you can make a difference in our world. Your potential is unlimited. My best wishes on one of life’s greatest milestones.
Community Visits
Friday, I had the chance to take a tour of Groves Learning Academy in St. Louis Park. It was great to learn a bit more about their mission around literacy and meeting students where they are in our community and beyond!
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn or 651-296-9889 with questions or input. Email is the quickest way to get in touch. During the interim I would love to tour your business or meet with your community organization. Please reach out if you would like to get something on the calendar.
The legislative session adjourned Monday as required by the Minnesota Constitution. Per the constitution, we needed to take action on all bills before midnight on Sunday. House members worked around the clock to resolve our differences and craft bills that would be able to pass in both the House and Senate and be signed into law by Governor Walz. While we were able to pass supplemental budgets for veterans and agriculture, smaller policy bills for HHS and Commerce, as well as some individual policy bills, there are important items still left on the table.
Earlier this month, Speaker Hortman, Senate Majority Leader Miller, and Governor Walz signed an agreement on a budget framework for the end of session: $4 billion in tax cuts; $4 billion in investments; and $4 billion on the bottom line, in case of a future economic downturn. As the House Property Tax Chair, I am personally frustrated that an extremely good bipartisan tax bill is still waiting in the wings. You can watch the bipartisan press conference that we held on Saturday to reveal what was included in the compromise bill.
After a tax deal was negotiated and finalized, ready for passage, the Senate went back on their word to agree with the overall budget framework and time ran out. Regardless of your politics, when you give someone your word and sign an agreement, you honor that agreement. Integrity matters to Minnesotans. It is my hope that Governor Walz is able to work with leadership on an agreement that will bring us into special session to finish those agreed upon bills.
Other budget items on the “to-do” list are transportation; long-term care; health and human services; public safety; state government finance; higher education; housing; and workforce development. While I’m not holding my breath, I remain cautiously optimistic that the GOP Senate will agree to come to the table and finish the job Minnesotans elected us to do. All of this work will need to be completed as soon as possible.
Tragedy in Buffalo and Uvalde
There are no words to express the profound grief and pain with ten people in Buffalo brutally killed, three people injured, and a surrounding community forever changed, all motivated by senseless hate. As reports continue to be released, it’s alleged the suspect published a 180-page document that repeats a series of white supremacist ideologies and racist conspiracy theories referred to as the “Great Replacement” as justification for a premeditated plan to search out Black people and murder them.
In 2020, the Minnesota House became the first legislative body in the nation to declare racism a public health crisis with the passage of House Resolution One creating the House Committee of Racial Justice.
And then Tuesday our hearts were broken again when in Uvalde, Texas there was a horrific school shooting of 19 children and two teachers. This is the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Words cannot express the grief we all feel for the families of those precious children and their two teachers. We must work swiftly together now to save more lives.
In 2020, the Minnesota House passed common-sense background checks and red flag laws. The Senate wouldn’t even hold a hearing. We must act because our children deserve a future without this senseless and preventable violence.
Update on Frontline Worker Bonus Pay
The application process is expected to open June 8 through July 22, 2022. These dates are subject to change. Learn more at https://frontlinepay.mn.gov.
St. Louis Park Watermain Break
Last weekend fifty-six of our neighbors in St. Louis Park experienced a major watermain break and damage to their homes. I have personally experienced a sewer backup in my own home and understand how difficult it can be. The City of St. Louis Park has created a dedicated website for affected residents to find up to date information.
As your state representative, I wanted to make sure you have the state resources below that are available to you:
The Department of Commerce provides a Consumer Services Center that can assist homeowners, business owners and renters with insurance questions, claims and complaints. The best contact number is 651-539-1600 which will put you into the main phone tree. You should select “insurance” and you will be navigated to a Consumer Services Center staff members who will assist you.
Consumers who want to file a complaint about their insurer or if they feel like they’ve had a claim inappropriately denied can also file a complaint on the agency’s website.
Lastly, this is probably more information than is needed in this case, but we send this packet of information out following natural disasters. There is information about flood insurance and sewer backups on pages seven and 8. It also has contact information for major insurers and tips for rebuilding once property owners get to that stage.
It’s been a tough week. Please take care of yourself and take a moment to enjoy the weather and time with family this weekend if you’re able. Don’t hesitate to contact me anytime with questions at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn or 651-296-9889. Email is the quickest way to get in touch.
We’re in the final stretch of the 2022 legislative session with our constitutionally required date to adjourn set for May 22 at midnight. On Monday, Governor Walz, House Speaker Hortman, and Senate Majority Leader Miller announced an end of session budget framework. It contains $4 billion in investments, $4 billion to lower costs and cut taxes, and $4 billion to save in budget reserves in case of future economic uncertainty.
House and Senate conference committees are working through the weekend to resolve differences within each version of a budget bill. As the Property Tax Division Chair, I am one of the five House members serving on the Tax Conference Committee along with five Senate members. We received our budget target late last week and began our work on Monday. We are very close to wrapping up the agreement.
As the conference committees finish, the compromise language moves to both the House and Senate floors for an up or down vote. Amendments are not allowed on conference committee reports, but there can be a lot of discussion on the reports. Traditionally, the Tax Conference Committee Report is the last one to leave the House floor and proceed to the Senate. It’s very possible I’ll be presenting the property tax portion of the report at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night. Only time will tell. As I mentioned in last week’s update, you can learn the latest on progress being made by the conference committees here.
Earlier this week, the governor signed legislation I chief authored to aid consumers and strengthen Minnesota’s salvage title statutes, making the system work better for all. The bill is the work of the Salvage Title Task Force that I served on. Under the bill, dealers would be required to inform potential buyers of known past damage and modifications of other disclosure requirements. It will ensure proper transparency and disclosure when previously damaged vehicles are bought and sold.
Higher Education Supplemental Budget Passes in the House
Today, the House passed the conference committee report, our final agreement on higher education supplemental funding. The all-women House conference committee team worked hard to compromise on how to invest $20 million in our post-secondary students and institutions. The final bill includes student-centered initiatives to go toward improvements to student affordability, equity, well-being, and research. You can read more details about the bipartisan bill here.
Liquor Bill
We also passed today the compromise conference committee report on liquor law updates. I’m glad we’re helping Minnesota craft breweries and distilleries grow and thrive by modernizing our state’s liquor laws. Under the compromise bill, breweries under 7,500 barrels per year will be able to sell up to 128oz per person per day for off-site consumption (six and four packs to go). It also frees the “Growler Cap” and will allow all breweries in the state to sell beer directly to consumers. Additionally, our distillers will have the option of selling their spirits in a larger bottle directly to customers. You can read more details about the compromise legislation here.
#LocalAngle
Stop by the Hopkins Police Department tomorrow, May 21 from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on your way to or from Mainstreet Day Arts & Craft Festival for the HPD Open House! Everyone is welcome.
Join the Hopkins Race & Equity Initiative for a Town Hall Forum on Race and Education on Tuesday, May 24, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Eisenhower Community Center in the theater. You can find more information here.
Mark your calendar! The City of St. Louis Park is hosting a Juneteenth celebration on June 19, noon – 4 p.m. at the ROC. Enjoy music from live music, shopping & delicious food. Keynote speech by Imani Jackson, executive chef & owner of Chopped and Served.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn or 651-296-9889. Email is the quickest way to get in touch.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you at the State Capitol.
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