Happy Friday. It’s been another busy week at the Minnesota House as we wrap up budget bills, getting us one step closer to finalizing the House’s version of a state budget. Bills are advancing to the House Ways and Means Committee; the final stop ahead of the Floor votes.
As Co-Chair Kresha and I continue to negotiate on what the final Education Finance budget will include, I’m reminded of how impactful our work really is on Minnesota students and families. It’s truly an honor to serve with you and for our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors.
Committee Work
As I mentioned above, committees have wrapped up their respective committees’ bills and DFL and GOP co-chairs are working closely with each other and senate counterparts. With a slim one-seat DFL majority in the Senate, all of the bills we bring forward must have bipartisan support and cooperation. Having previously worked under the nation’s only divided state legislature, I’m confident in our ability to get the job done for Minnesotans.
At the same time, we will not sacrifice the progress we made over the last two years for our K-12 schools, as well as our youngest learners. We must protect Minnesotans’ access to health care, affordable housing, and do our best to make sure our economy works for everyone and not just a few. We also have to keep an eye on the future budget and prepare for what may happen at the national level.
What to Expect in the Last month of Session
We’ve continued to pass bipartisan bills off the House Floor and the week after our short break, we will continue to see individual bills as well as larger committee policy bills pass off of the House Floor and head to conference committee. Final committee budget bills will move to the Ways and Means Committee on their way to the House Floor for a vote. When we have an agreement on our Education Finance bill, we will also need to make a stop in the Taxes Committee.
Conference committees will then meet to match up and reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of budget bills. Once the bills are reconciled, they go back to their respective floors for a vote and then head to the Governor’s desk. All of this work needs to happen before May 19. I serve on the House Taxes Committee, as well as the Ways and Means Committee, so it is going to be a very busy 30 days.Constituent Visits
Since I spent the week in negotiations on the House Education finance bill between committee hearings and the House Floor, I did not have any constituent meetings scheduled. I did have the chance to speak to a wonderful group of Adult Basic Educators and their students at Literacy Day on the Hill. It was my first time speaking in the Capitol Rotunda and, of course, I forgot to take any pictures.
It is always fun to run into St. Louis Park colleagues when they come up to testify on bills at the Capitol! Sud Budd, representing the advocacy group Isaiah, spoke on a bill in the Taxes Committee that would increase revenue to make up for cuts to Medicaid that are expected to come from the federal level.
Greg Hunt, the Economic Development Director from the City of St. Louis Park, spoke in support of a bill that extends an expiring provision in Tax Increment Financing (TIF).
In this period of uncertainty, there may be a lag in data, so this survey is a way for our communities’ business owners to communicate directly with the department now. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete. By collaborating with Minnesota’s locally owned small businesses, which face significant challenges, we can proactively plan for the state’s future needs.
On Wednesday this week, Governor Walz announced a new dashboard Minnesotans can use to track disruptions and cancellations of federal funding and their impact on services available to Minnesotans. Federal disruptions and cuts so far include grants to track measles and avian influenza, provide heating assistance, and mitigate flooding.
At the time of launch, Minnesota state agencies are tracking over $296 million in cancelled funds, with another $55 million at risk.
Keep in Touch Please continue to contact me anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or at 651-296-9889 with questions, input, or to let me know how I can help.
It’s an honor to represent you and your family at the State Capitol.
Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather!
This week, committees heard their final individual bills to meet deadlines. Today, April 4 is the deadlines for policy bills, meaning all bills with policy language have to be either sent to the floor or included in a more comprehensive policy bill. Our deadline for bills pertaining to funding is Friday, April 11 at noon. That means finance committees (Education, Taxes, Public Safety, etc.) must be finished hearing individual bills that could be included in a larger budget bill.
A bipartisan agreement in the House was announced over the weekend for an almost $1.16 billion in funding reductions to the General Fund. The work before us now is crafting committee budget bills to meet that bipartisan budget framework. We adopted the House budget targets in Ways and Means Monday evening.
Given the current economic forecast indicating a future state deficit, we must remain cautious as we set those budget bills. Epspecially given the impacts of federal tariffs, combined with a plummeting stock market, and other federal cuts impacting services in Minnesota. A balanced budget approach is essential to safeguard services for Minnesotans.
Committee Work
As the Education Finance co-chair in the House, I am co-authoring the Education Finance bill with my GOP co-chair Rep. Ron Kresha. Due to the power-sharing agreement, both of us must agree on every item in the bill in order for it to move out of our committee. The goal is to have a budget bill posted by Monday and have it work its way through our committee, on to the Tax Committee (due to funding streams that are levies), and then on to the Ways & Means Committee before its final stop on the House floor. The Senate is going through the same process with the final step being a conference committee where we negotiate a final education budget bill. My goal is to protect the progress we made last year: indexing the formula to inflation; investments that provide more student support personnel in the classroom (nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists); Unemployment Insurance for our hourly workers, and universal school meals.
On Tuesday, we convened session and resumed our regular committee schedule after the Eid break. In the Tax Committee, I had a bill up to allow cities to transfer excess tax increment finance funds into a city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF). An AHTF can be used by cities to help develop affordable housing, provide funds for folks to afford to buy a home, and other items to make it more accessible for Minnesotans to put a roof over their heads. This bill idea is the extension of a successful pilot project that the City of St. Louis Park created.
In the Education Finance Committee, we heard a bill authored by Representative Andrew Myers (R-Tonka Bay) that would dismantle Minnesota’s free school meals program. My colleagues and I serving on the Education Finance Committee defended the popular free school meals initiative enacted during the 2023 session. More than 70% of Minnesotans — including majorities across every ideological and demographic category — say they approve of the program to provide free school meals to all students, regardless of income. You can watch my remarks here.
Know Your Rights
I’m horrified at the news of a University of Minnesota international graduate student and students at Minnesota State University-Mankato being unlawfully detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week. As more details of the arrests are emerging, it’s abundantly clear these students were denied their rights of due process. Check out this helpful video with several scenarios if you or a loved one encounters Immigration and Customs Enforcement and needs an action plan.
Foreign students attending our higher education institutions have enhanced our campuses and our economy for decades. This issue is personal to me. My father-in-law was an international student who came to the United States to build a better life. In 1963, Maurice came to the University of Illinois as a young Palestinian man to study engineering. He worked nights at a hotel 48 hours/week at $1.10/ hour as a full-time student.
He was lucky to have the help of a scholarship and finished with a PhD in Electrical Engineering in seven years while getting married and having two kids. He went on to become an American citizen, have four more kids, and got a job at the Fridley Plant (FMC) in Fridley, Minnesota.
Maurice, and my mother-in-law Cathy, raised six successful kids who went through Coon Rapids public schools, who now have careers in medicine, teaching, computer networking, and one as a CEO of a fintech company. Maurice worked at FMC from 1976-1994. He worked in the Northern Ordinance Division as a software developer for military weapons. He also consulted for 3M guidance technologies and Honeywell.
I share this because I’m proud of my father-in-law. Proud of his journey, bravery, and of his work to keep our soldiers and our country safe. I think of his journey now, because this presidential administration would have sent him back. That would’ve been a great loss to our family and to our country! Many of the decisions being made right now by this administration will have negative effects well beyond these four years. They will affect decades and generations to come.
Being aware of scammers
Text, email, and social media scams are becoming more sophisticated and more prevalent. If you’re like me, you probably have gotten some of these scam texts that say you need to pay a toll or confirm a payment–it’s important to be skeptical of such texts. Those E-Z Pass texts are scams, and MnDOT has issued a fraud warning here with resources in case you accidentally click a link.
I want to share some helpful resources with you all on how to spot and avoid scams, and where you can go for help if you or someone you know falls victim to these fraudsters. Remember that it’s important to break down the stigma of embarrassment and report any cases so law enforcement can take any actions possible to try to recover funds or stop future scams.
The Minnesota Attorney General’s office has some resources on How to Spot a Scam with helpful examples and a list of common scams. If you have concerns about a particular offer or believe you are the victim of a scam, the Attorney General Ellison wants to hear from you. You may call at (651) 296-3353 (Twin Cities Calling Area) or (800) 657-3787 (Outside the Twin Cities), or submit a Consumer Assistance Request Form.
Tuesday, I had a the opportunity to meet with David Paurus from Hopkins during AFSCME’s day on the hill. Thank you for your great discussion and the work you do for Minnesota Department of Corrections!
On Tuesday, I ran into our St. Louis Park Police Chief Brian Kruelle (pictured below) who was at the Capitol to testify on one of Rep. Larry Kraft’s bills. And, thank you to Patricia Magnuson from St. Louis Park Schools for testifying on a bill for smaller schools to access funding to fix their roofs. It is always fun running into folks from our community who are advocating at the Capitol!
Wednesday, I had the chance to chat with a group of advocates from Hopkins, Edina, and St. Louis Park fighting for affordable healthcare, housing, and Paid Family and Medical Leave. Thank you for the amazing advocacy work you do on issues that will make Minnesotans lives affordable.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions or input. I appreciate hearing from you!
Thank you for the honor of serving our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors at the State Capitol.
It’s been a busy week at the Capitol as we prepare for the first and second committee policy deadlines. This means that all policy bills must clear all necessary committee stops pertaining to their issue area by 5 p.m. on April 4. The following week is the deadline for fiscal/budget bills to meet on Friday, April 11 at noon. As I mentioned in last week’s update, these deadlines help us hone bill priorities to shape policy and our state budget.
House DFLers are steadfast in standing up for our neighbors and staying true to our Minnesota values; fair pay for hard work, being able to take time off to care for yourself or a loved one without having to sacrifice a paycheck; protecting our most vulnerable populations’ access to health care, including the disability and older communities; and in my role as Education Finance DFL Co-Chair, that means preserving our progress for and investments in Minnesota’s schools and students.
As I mentioned last week the news of President Trump dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. In response, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) launched a public feedback portal at education.mn.gov for parents, students, teachers, and community members to submit detailed accounts of the ways recent Executive Orders and abrupt federal education cuts are impacting schools and children across our state.
More than 860,000 students in Minnesota depend on stable partnerships that have existed between their school communities, MDE, and the U.S. Department of Education across administrations. For decades, the federal investments facilitated through those partnerships have played a key role in ensuring students in Minnesota receive the support they need to learn and thrive, including:
$256 million for students with disabilities
$192 million for students from low-income backgrounds
$27 million for academic enrichment
$6 million for students in rural schools
$38 million to support children living on military bases or Native American reservations
$100 million for Career and Technical Education workforce development programs
On Monday, the House Ways and Means Committee heard a federal impacts presentation from Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) on federal interactions with the state budget. Kare 11 covered the presentation and the alarming reality of what we’re facing with looming federal cuts and the damage we’re anticipating backfilling at the state. (Kare 11 story on hearing)
Senator Mary Kunesh and I started off Monday morning talking with school board members and school administrators from across the State during an Association of Metropolitan School District’s day at the Capitol. My day continued with meeting students, administrators, and school board members from Hopkins, Edina, and St. Louis Park public schools!
March is Women’s History Month, and it was the perfect time to celebrate the Minnesota Frost’s achievement. And recognize the history of other Minnesota women’s sports teams like the Lynx and the University of Minnesota Women’s Hockey team that have made our state so proud!
Photo credit: House Photography
Great to have met with Rep. Kraft and MN Frost players Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle
It was a busy day also with two bonding projects bills heard in the House Capital Investment Committee. Special Projects Manager Laila Imihy from the City of Hopkins testified on funds for two larger park buildings where our community can gather. Mayor Nadia Mohamed testified on road and water infrastructure improvements on Louisiana Avenue and Oxford Street for the City of St. Louis Park. Thank you both for the work you do for our communities!
I had a great time meeting with members from SEIU to talk about staffing and wages for CNAs in our long term care & senior facilities, for nurses in our hospitals, and for janitors in our school buildings. These are folks who keep us healthy and safe in good and bad times. We need to have their backs!
Thank you MN Firefighter Initiative for the honor of working on the Hometown Heroes Act Program (HHAP) legislation over the years-it still puts a smile on my face to support your work. HHAP provides cardiac education, mental health visits, and monetary support for firefighters across Minnesota. During floor session, I had the opportunity to pass clarifying language. Though this bipartisan language, we make small changes that will have a big impact. A big thank you to Rep. John Huot, Rep. Jeff Witte, Rep. Pete Johnson, and Rep. Aaron Repinski for speaking in support of the legislation on the House floor.
Friday morning I had the opportunity to tour our Lady of Grace Catholic School in Edina. Thank you to Principal Jim Dalman, Principal Julie Morann, and Deacon Mike McGinty for showing me around their school. I was impressed by their work they are doing in literacy in their primary grades, as well as the experiential learning in the secondary grades. This year, the Urban Wilderness Program came out and helped the sixth graders build three canoes from scratch. Here is Principal Dalman showing one off.
Two days last week and one one day this week, I had the opportunity to join our Muslim friends and neighbors for an Iftar dinner. Ramadan is a Muslim holiday that includes 30 days of fasting and religious adherence to prayer. Muslims fast during the day, they do not even partake of water, and break that fast as the sun goes down with an Iftar dinner celebrated in community.
I would like to thank Rep. Samakab Hussein for inviting our colleagues to a large Iftar dinner last Wednesday at the St. Paul Armory on the Capitol campus. I also would like to thank our communities of St. Louis Park and Hopkins for hosting their own community Iftars this week and last. The food was delicious, and it was an honor to share a meal in community with our Muslim friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, I missed the Edina Iftar dinner earlier in the month due to a House floor session. On Monday, the Minnesota House and Senate will be closed for Eid. Eid is the celebration at the end of Ramadan. We will be returning to session on Tuesday, April 1.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime with questions, input, or ideas at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889. I am honored to serve our communities of Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina at the State Capitol.
Enjoy the warmer temps today before our rainy weekend!
St. Paul, MN – Representative Cheryl Youakim (DFL-Hopkins) passed a bill in the Minnesota House today updating Minnesota’s Hometown Heroes Assistance Program.
“Firefighters face cancer, cardiac issues, and mental health challenges at higher rates than the rest of us just for doing their jobs; jobs that we ask of them and that many of us are not willing or able to do,” said Rep. Youakim. “They work hard to keep us safe without hesitation and we need to have their backs. The Hometown Heroes Assistance Program is one of the ways we can care for those who care for us.”
In 2021, the Legislature created the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program to assist firefighters with critical illnesses and mental health care. Rep. Youakim’s bill that passed today, HF 1163, clarifies that expenses related to peer-to-peer counseling are reimbursable under the program and ensures that firefighters across the state are eligible for two hours of training in understanding and mitigating the risk of job-related critical illnesses and emotional trauma.
Following last week’s special election in Roseville, Rep. David Gottfried (DFL-Roseville) has been sworn in and is now a member of the Minnesota House, reverting us back to a 67-67 tie and ending GOP control. Committees now have equal membership of Democrats and Republicans, which will also reinstate co-chairs. For me, this means I’ll serve as a DFL co-chair of the House Education Finance Committee and share the gavel with GOP co-chair Kresha. We’re working together to discuss and vet legislation to craft a budget that serves all of our students in Minnesota.
On Monday, we welcomed the 11 Minnesotan Sovereign Tribal Nations to St. Paul to share their time and wisdom with the Minnesota Legislature and Governor Walz.
Trump Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education
Yesterday, the Trump Administration issued an unconstitutional Executive Order that seeks to erode access to high-quality education for children in Minnesota and across the country by dismantling the U.S. Department of Education (USED). Currently, the USDE uses formulas to distribute money that are based on numbers of students served and/or the needs of a type of student. It is complex math with many variables. Unfortunately, the folks that do the math were all fired last week.
States are being told that money will be sent to them in the form of block grants where states will have “better control”. However, block grants come with strings attached requiring states to include or remove certain policies or funding streams, essentially removing local control. Block grants are not a formula and can become political. Our students deserve better than that.
There has also been an indication that some of the work that the USED does for our students can just be shifted to other departments; department that do not have expertise in the needs of our students or the distribution models.
Trump’s Executive Order puts resources for students with special needs at risk; guts the Department’s Office of Civil Rights, which protects students from discrimination and sexual assault; and hamstrings the processing of financial aid, raising costs for college and university students who will have a harder time accessing loans, Pell Grants, and work study programs. Minnesota stands to lose $2 billion a year for these students.
Committee Work
We continue our work in the Taxes Committee with the power sharing agreement. Rep. Aisha Gomez is now co-chairing the commitee with Rep. Greg Davids. We heard a variety of bills regarding expanding the child tax credit, increasing property tax aids and credits, as well as increasing sales tax and property tax exemption for farmers. We also heard a bill to ensure free tax preparation sites for low income residents continue.
In Education Finance Committee, Rep. Ron Kresha chairs the committee on Tuesdays, and I will chair the committee on Thursdays. Tuesday we heard a bills on seat time, innovation zones, and a bill extending the short call substitute pilot project. On Thursday, we heard Rep. Sandra Feist’s bill to update the compensatory revenue formula following the implementation of Universal School Meals. Kare11 did a story and breaks it down here. We also heard Rep. Rehm’s bill to deliver additional investments in Unemployment Insurance for the hourly workers in our schools (our paraprofessionals, nutrition staff, and bus drivers) who have not been able to access unemployment in the summer months when they are unemployed.
DWI Reform
Representative Larry Kraft, Senator Ron Latz, alongside advocates announced a bipartisan bill of which I’m a coauthor. The bill reforms Minnesota’s DWI policies in a press conference recently at the Park Tavern, the site of last year’s deadly crash in St. Louis Park.
The driver of last year’s tragedy had received 5 previous DWI convictions and was found to be four times over the legal limit following the crash. Friday’s proposal significantly increases the amount of time people with multiple offenses are required to be on ignition interlock, doubles the lookback period for offenses, and removes obstacles for offenders to get on interlock in an effort to prevent future incidents like this from happening again.
Constituent Visits
Thank you to Dr. Julia Dworsky for talking with me about (HF1010/SF832) that creates a certified midwife program. The bill will help grow the maternity care workforce, especially in areas of Minnesota where our hospitals can be one or more hours away.
Tuesday I had two bills up in different committees. In Public Safety, my bill makes clarifying changes to the Hometown Heroes Act. Thank you to the MNFire Initiative for all you do for our firefighters! In Education Policy, my bill would provide school districts flexibility in setting their calendars. Local representation from St. Louis Park Schoolboard Member, Colin Cox, came to testify in favor of the bill.
Thank you to Edina resident, Tyson Helder, who visited during the MN Land Title Association’s Day at the Capitol. We talked about two bills to protect home owners during land transactions.
Constituent Carl Holmquist came up to visit during Leading Age Day. Thank you for filing me in on legislation that will affect the Glenn in Hopkins and other senior living facilities.
I had a blast showing a group of folks from the Hopkins Senior Center around the House floor this week! They had great questions and enjoyed the Minnesota Historical Society tour as well.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime with questions, input, or ideas at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889. I am honored to serve our communities of Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina at the State Capitol.
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