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.
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.
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