A big thank you to the folks who turned out for the Community Conversation last Saturday. The snow and cold didn’t stop neighbors from coming out to have their voices heard. We had conversations around education funding, discussed chronic absenteeism, heard strong support for our LGBTQ+ communities, and much more. I appreciate all of the input! A special shoutout to our amazing public libraries for providing the space to gather!
We have heard a slew of bills in our committees that only have Republican authors, have strong opposition in the Senate, and will not be able to garner the 68 votes on the House. It is my hope that we start to spend more time in committees on bills that we can work on together as we await the March 6 forecast to start our work on the two year state budget.
State of the City Video Recording Now Available
Did you miss Hopkins’ State of the City this year? A video recording of the event is now available. Check it out to learn about local government issues and city initiatives from the past year, and a look ahead at 2025.
Cold Weather & Energy Assistance Resources
With the cold weather still upon us, I want to share a quick reminder that Minnesota’s “cold weather rule” is now in effect, which protects residents from having their electric or natural gas service shut off until April 30.
To ensure your service is safe from disconnection, you must make and keep a payment plan that you and your utility provider agree on. More information is available on the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s website.
Also, an initiative the state legislature strengthened in 2021 may help lower costs. While older homes have their charm, many homeowners needing basic home improvements like repairing windows, removing asbestos, repairing cracked foundations or siding often face challenges paying upfront for these pre-weatherization measures. Minnesotans using CenterPoint or Xcel Energy can schedule an appointment with the Home Energy Squad to visit their homes to identify low cost energy-saving solutions. Each visit is approximately two hours, and during that time, the Home Energy Squad will perform various energy-saving tests, inspect your insulation, heating and cooling systems, and water heater. Learn more here.
House Floor Activity
On Thursday, we discussed House File 20 on the House Floor. It is a bill that would give currently private data to powerful special interests. The bill stems from a case the fossil fuel industry and would make it nearly impossible for the Minnesota Attorney General to join other state’s AGs to join in collective actions to protect their citizens. Without 68 votes, Democrats were successful in stopping this bill from advancing. HF 20 was “tabled” which means it could be taken up again at any time.
Committee Work
In the Ways and Means on Monday, we heard from the Legislative Budget Office on the process of putting together fiscal notes. Fiscal notes reflect the cost of implementing what a bill is proposing.
During Thursday’s Taxes hearing, we had an overview from the Minnesota Department of Revenue (DOR) and the work that they do, as well as the Governor’s tax proposal. On Thursday, we heard from the League of Minnesota Cities, Association of Minnesota Counties, and the Minnesota Inter-County Association on their legislative priorities for this session.
In the Education Finance Committee on Tuesday, we heard a large education bill proposal from the House GOP that makes changes to the Read Act including removing the requirement for the reading curriculum to be culturally responsive. It would also remove oversight from the Minnesota Department of Education on grant allocation to school districts around education innovation. The bill also allows districts to ignore any requirements we placed to secure school funding in the 2023-2024 legislative session until the 2029-2030 school year. While the bill should have made at least three more committee stops, it went directly to the House Floor with only GOP support.
On Thursday, we had a robust discussion on a bill proposed to redirect funds from the Student Support Personnel Aid (SSPA), that we funded in 2023-2024, to a School Safety Account. SSPA allowed our school districts to hire more school psychologists, nurses, social workers, and counselors in our schools, while the School Safety Account can also be used for cybersecurity and funding building safety updates. There would be no guarantee, if the SSPA funds are moved to the School Safety Account, that the funds would be used in accordance with the legislative intent to put more trained professionals in our schools to help our students. There was an incredible group of students and school staff that testified in opposition to the bill. Including, students from Edina High School that are pictured below. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in an education bill.
Kidney Disease Awareness
Kidney disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the US, but only 10% of adults with the disease know they have it. Early detection is vital for slowing or stopping further kidney damage, which is a key focus of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). The NKF is dedicated to eliminating preventable kidney disease, supporting new innovations, and dismantling structural inequities in patient care. A simple step to assess your risk for this disease is to take this 60-second quiz Kidney Health Quiz.
Constituent and Organizations Meetings
This week was very busy with constituents and organizations that visited the Capitol this week to advocate for bills and share their thoughts. I started the week meeting with a group of teachers who are on the Education Minnesota Governing Board to talk about school funding and pensions.
Emily Beck is a constituent who was advocating for the awareness of kidney disease and was kind enough to share the 60 second quiz to see how to keep your kidneys healthy.
I also had the chance to meet with Dawn Uribe, and her husband Gary, who runs Mis Amigos Preschool to discuss the challenges that industry is facing.
I met with a group of constituents who were at the Capitol for a rally with Faith in Minnesota, ISAIAH, and We Make Minnesota to support Paid Family Medical Leave, maintain transit investment, support affordable housing, and more.
Dr. Deborah Thorpe was at the Capitol to advocate for increasing the reimbursement for treating Medical Assistance recipients. She is an Ob-Gyn who has spent years practicing gender care and is very concerned about the Federal government’s recent positions regarding our LBGTQ+ community.
I had an inspiring visit with the organizations that make up the Education Partnership Collaborative who focus on making sure our students and their families have the supports they need to be successful.
On Thursday, it was mental health awareness day and I met with folks from Fraser, Vail Place, and UABLE to discuss the barriers folks face to receive care and support.
Talked with a group of amazing aspiring teachers who advocated last year for paid student teaching and other ways to make sure we support students who want to become teachers in our classrooms.
Town Hall Reminder
I’m sharing a friendly reminder about our upcoming SD 46 Town Hall Meeting on February 27th in St. Louis Park! I hope you can attend; I’d love to hear from you.
Community Conversations
I also have a few more community conversations I’m hosting. Check out the remaining dates below to find a date, time, and location that works best for you.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions, ideas, or input. I appreciate hearing from you! I’m always happy to see how I can help.
Thank you for the honor of representing our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors at the State Capitol.
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s great to be back at the State Capitol. It’s been quite a busy week between committee meetings, constituent meetings and meetings with organizations on their legislative platforms. Let’s dive in.
Committee work is underway with the GOP leading the House agenda for the next four weeks. Republicans have already introduced several pieces of harmful legislation that would hurt our students, neighbors, healthcare systems, eliminate reproductive freedoms, transit, and more. They’ve even introduced their own version of a “Parents Bill of Rights”, essentially dictating what their children learn in schools, blocking American History curriculum and more content they don’t agree with.
Committee Meetings
In the Education Finance Committee, we had an overview of the Governor’s budget proposal and the Minnesota Department of Education’s budget proposal. Next week we will be rolling into bill hearings.
In the Ways and Means Committee we would traditionally hear an overview of the State Budget and November forecast from non-partisan staff and the Minnesota Department of Management and Budget. Instead, Chair Torkelson had a conservative, partisan presentation from the Center of the American Experiment, an organization that later disparaged our committee members’ comments on their podcast.
In Taxes, we heard a variety of bills from sales tax exemptions for baby materials to sales tax exemptions on construction materials. We also heard a proposed controversial constitutional amendment that would raid our emergency and rainy-day funds, as well as funds used to stabilize our school district budgets. Additionally, we heard a bill to increase an exemption on the estate tax from $3 million dollars to $14 million.
Your Input Needed: Keep it Digitally Safe!
In the United States, we have guardrails on all kinds of products like seatbelts in cars or warning labels on tobacco products. We do things to protect ourselves from products that are legal, but deadly without safety measures. I’m interested in learning how that could be applied to social media.
The Keep it Digitally Safe, or KiDS, Campaign is a global contest inviting parents and kids to submit social media warning label ideas to raise awareness about the risks associated with social media and promote safer online practices. Individuals and teams can submit their entries at keepitdigitallysafe.org. All entries must be submitted by 8:00 a.m. CST on Friday, April 18.
KiDS aims to amplify the impact of significant risk and real physical harm occurring on social media every minute of every day.
Through public messaging created through the KiDS Campaign, SAVE and other organizations want to implement real change for accountability and transparency from social media companies through legislative action.
Guidance to School Districts regarding ICE
Minnesota Attorney General Elison joined the Minnesota Department of Education to provide guidance around U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement entering our schools. You can see the guidance here.
Minnesota schools continue to be bound by law to provide public education to students regardless of immigration status, must protect student data, and cannot be compelled to enforce a federal program or changes in federal policies.
Constituent Meetings
On Monday, I had the opportunity to chat with the owner and folks from Mac’s Liquor in Hopkins. We went over the legislative agenda and talked about concerns around liquor in grocery stores and the ability to continue to sell THC products. Thank you for the conversation!
Affordable Housing Day had different groups visiting on Tuesday to discuss the need for affordable and market rate housing, as well as the barriers to building up that housing stock. I met with a mother and daughter who volunteer with Beacon Housing. Thank you for your advocacy to make sure folks have a place to call home. A group from Reach for Resources in Hopkins here for Minnesota Social Services Day. We discussed the need for better reimbursement models to meet their caseloads. I also met with folks from People for Pride in Living to discuss their alternative education programs and the investment they need to continue their good work.
Wednesday brought a variety of folks visiting the Capitol to advocate. Duluth schools to discuss career technical education (CTE) pathways, a visit from ServeMN and Americorp to discuss their Math Corp program, an amazing group of CTE teachers to talk about the programs they expanded because of the investments we made last session, and folks from iCivics to discuss civic education programming. I also had a chance to meet with one of our new reporters from the Sun Sailor, Nina Thompson.
I had a well-attended Community Conversation last Saturday! Thank you to the 25+ people who attended. We had a thoughtful discussion around topics from affordable housing and education funding to protecting our climate and property taxes.
A big thank you to Hennepin County Sergeant Howse for letting me ride along on Saturday night! Hennepin County has an incredibly large territory to cover and provide response support to so many of our communities. I appreciate their dedication to public safety and service!
Upcoming Town Hall Meeting
Please join Rep. Larry Kraft, Senator Latz, and me at our upcoming Town Hall meeting in the St. Louis Park City Council Chambers. Hope to see you there!
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions or to let me know how I can provide assistance. It’s an honor to represent our St. Louis Park, Hopkins, and Edina neighbors at the State Capitol.
Wednesday evening, House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman announced a bipartisan power-sharing agreement in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The agreement stipulates that Republicans will govern as a majority until we return to a 67-67 tie, which we expect following the March 11th special election in Roseville. At that point, all committees will have equal representation from both parties with co-chairs leading – precisely what we’ve insisted on for weeks. I’m looking forward to continuing committee work as the DFL Lead for the Education Finance Committee with GOP Chair Ron Kresha and look forward to the work as co-chair when or if we return to a 67-67 tie.
While the agreement allows GOP Leader Lisa Demuth to serve as Speaker of the House for the full biennium with some DFL checks and balances, Democrats secured our biggest goal – a power-sharing agreement that ensures Rep. Brad Tabke can serve the term to which he was elected. The agreement also prevents Republicans from throwing out an election in the future; a victory for democracy and the people of Minnesota.
I’m pleased to report that the 2025 session properly and lawfully got underway on Thursday, February 6. I’ve been working hard in our district over the past few weeks, and I’m excited to bring that work back to the State Capitol.
Additionally, I had the opportunity this week to interview with KSTP regarding President Trump’s anticipated Executive Order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Minnesota receives $1.9 billion dollars a month from the U.S. Department of Education in the areas of special education, Title I, student grants in higher education, as well as grants directly to schools and other educational organizations. We also receive roughly 60% of the funds for Universal Meals from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This impending Executive Order joins a long list of harmful orders coming from President Trump.
Here’s a look at what I’ve been working on for our communities:
On Monday, I spent the day working on legislation, meeting with Executive Director Josiah Litant from the P-20 Education Partnership going over their annual report, and talking with Zeke Jackson with People from PSEO on some of their priorities for their upcoming session. You can find the P-20 report here.
I had a full day of meetings on Tuesday, but a highlight was with Carolyn Berger, a constituent who is licensed in mental health and is a professor at the University of Minnesota teaching our future school and community counselors. We discussed the investment we made to increase our school support professionals staffing (school counselors, nurses, & psychologists). It has helped with the pipeline of folks working in our schools, but we need to do more! It was great to have our college intern, Abbey, sit in and participate.
Thank you, OutFront Minnesota, for hosting Wednesday’s conversation on how we can support creating a learning environment where students can be the best versions of themselves. We need to make sure our students feel safe and supported in our schools and our communities.
I also had meetings on Wednesday with the Minnesota Multi-Unit Housing Association on tenant notification, Coalition for Children with Disabilities on their legislative agenda, and the Minnesota Association of Independent Schools regarding non-public pupil aid. My meeting with RESOLVE to discuss the need for insurance to cover infertility was very meaningful and personal to my family and many friends in our communities. A big thank you to Lindsey for sharing your personal story!
Thursday, before session started, Rep. Larry Kraft, Rep. Alex Falconer, and I had a chance to visit with Children’s First in St. Louis Park. This amazing organization is part of Education Partnership Coalition, a broader group of communities across the state, providing a variety of services to help our students and their families be successful. Children’s First’s was accepted as a member in the StriveTogether Cradle to Career National Network to focus on data-informed ways to close the race and poverty gaps for our students’ academic success.
Friday started out with an annual regional breakfast with the Municipal Legislative Commission and leaders across the metro area. It was fun to catch up with Mayor Hovland who moderated the discussion and Edina City staff. It was also full of meetings with our education finance team including non-partisan staff, co-chairs, and with members working on education bills. I also had the chance to meet with an amazing Hopkins High School student, Dallas Downy, who is participating in Three Sixty Capitol Reporting Workshop who wanted to interview me regarding special education funding.
I hope to see you at my Community Conversation at the Hopkins Library tomorrow, Saturday, February 8 from noon – 1:30 pm. This will be my third Community Conversation this year with three more to come.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions or to let me know how I can provide assistance. It’s an honor to represent our St. Louis Park, Hopkins, and Edina neighbors at the State Capitol.
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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