I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! It was beautiful weather to celebrate those who nurture our future generations. I hope you all had a chance to enjoy the early start to summer.
May is always a busy part of the legislative session with conference committees meeting to hash out differences between the House and Senate budget bills. Conference committees that have begun meeting include judiciary and public safety, transportation, higher education, environment, and agriculture. Work continues on a global fiscal budget framework, carefully considering the federal budget outlook and how that will impact our communities in Minnesota.
In between floor sessions, committee work, and meeting with constituents, in my role as the House Education Finance Committee DFL-Co-Chair, I remain cautiously optimistic about getting a compromise budget done that doesn’t strip away unemployment benefits from our paraprofessionals, school bus drivers, school nutrition staff, and clerical employees. These hourly school workers fill vital rolls during the entire length of the school year and are some of the lowest paid. They are also the only hourly workers, who work more than four months a year that did not have access to unemployment benefits until 2023. I spoke about this provision and the rest of the House Education Finance bill on Minnesota Public Radio on Friday afternoon and appeared on TPT’s Almanac Friday evening show.
Energy Assistance Still Available
Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County’s (CAP-HC’s) Energy Assistance Program can help pay your utility bills between October 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. If you’re an eligible applicant, you may receive a grant paid directly to your utility provider that reduces your expenses. Applications must be received or postmarked by May 31 and will be processed in order of date received. Learn more at: Learn more on the Community Action Partnership of Hennepin County website.
Teacher Appreciation Week
We celebrated the dedicated teachers in classrooms across Minnesota last week during Teacher Appreciation Week. A special shout-out to all the current teachers in our family: my Husband Jacques (who has been teaching for 33+ years), our Son Gannon (fourth generation teacher on both sides of the family), our soon to be Daughter-in-Law Kayli, and my Sister-in-Laws Danielle, Shannon, Theresa, and Leila, Cousin Kim, and Cousin Dani. And to the retired teachers in our family: my Dad Roger, Mother-in-Law Cathy, Aunt Lee, Aunt Sue, Grandmother Evelyn, Grandmother Virginia, Grandfather Charles, and Grandfather Jacoub. Yes, we have a LOT of teachers in our family.
And for some other education news, we received good news from the Minnesota Department of Education – graduation rates have reached a historic high! When we invest in our kids we see results. Minnesota still has a long way to go to return to our nation-leading education outcomes, but this is an encouraging start. I’ll continue to invest in our youth and public education, let’s keep up this good progress!
Keep in Touch
Please always feel free to reach out with questions, input, or to let me know how I can help 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 at the State Capitol.
It’s hard to believe May is already upon us! I hope you’re enjoying springtime and looking forward to the nicer weather. With our constitutionally required adjournment date of May 19 right around the corner, I’m glad to report our work has been productive, passing several of our major budget proposals off the House Floor in recent days.
As is the situation we’re in as a tied House, no bill is able to pass if it’s significantly opposed by either side of the aisle. The result has been compromise budgets that aren’t perfect – there’s plenty “I’m not crazy about, nor are my GOP colleagues” comments in bill presentations as the GOP and DFL co-chairs present the bills together. We still have had several House budgets left to pass this week, but here is a nonpartisan breakdown of the ones we’ve passed so far:
Yesterday, we passed the State Government Finance budget. I’m grateful for Co-Chair Ginny Klevorn and Co-Chair Jim Nash and their work on the State Government bill that will support our elections, combat fraud, and much more.
Things are moving swiftly in the education arena. Co-Chair Kresha and I presented our budget agreement in the House Education Finance Committee, Tax Committee, and the Ways & Means Committee this week. As a compromise, the initial bill agreement removed unemployment insurance from our school’s hourly workers after the summer of 2028. But like many tentative agreements that take place in negotiations, things can change when you talk with your membership.
Our DFL membership does not want to take unemployment insurance benefits away from our bus drivers, paraprofessionals, custodians, nutrition staff, and clerical workers. Before the addition of UI for our school hourly workers in 2023, this particular group of workers were the only hourly workers working more than three months a year, that had been denied UI benefits that all other seasonal Minnesota workers have. While we are back to the drawing board, I still have hope that we will come to an agreement on a House K-12 budget bill that we can bring into negotiations with the Senate and the Governor’s office.
Keeping Minnesotans Safe on the Road
We also passed legislation that puts more guardrails on driving for repeat DWI offenders. Thanks to Rep. Larry Kraft’s partnership with the incredible advocates from Methodist Hospital & Park Tavern, repeat drunk drivers will remain on ignition interlock longer and will be required to get treatment. I’m grateful to have been a small part of this work to get this across the finish line for our community and state.
Constituent Visits
I had a school visit from 4th & 5th graders from Highland Elementary in Edina who had great observations about the Capitol, questions about how a bill becomes a law, and an ideas for a law requiring recess in middle school and a four-day school week.
Organization Teach for America stopped by to talk about the work they have been doing to get more teachers in our classrooms.
May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Month
May marks Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to honor the rich contributions, diverse cultures, and important history of AANHPI communities in Minnesota and across our country. I invite you to join me in celebrating the many ways these communities have strengthened and enriched our state through their leadership, innovation, and resilience.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions, input, or to let me know how I can help.
It’s an honor to represent you and our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors in the Minnesota House.
In the Minnesota House, we’re developing a new two-year state budget and beginning to pass larger policy and budget bills off of the House Floor and into conference committee with their respective Senate bills. With an evenly split House between Democrats and Republicans, this process requires collaboration and compromise; each side will have to give something up. Despite these challenges, we recognize our essential duty to Minnesota residents to pass a state budget. My DFL colleagues and I remain focused on investing and empowering working Minnesotans and their families.
On Monday this week, we returned from the legislative spring break and honored Rep. Mary Murphy, the House’s longest-serving woman as well as the state’s second-longest-serving legislator stretching to 46 years. An avid reader and former social studies teacher, Rep. Murphy knew the value of a quality education and statewide public library system. She’s also the author of the legislation that created our state muffin, the blueberry muffin, as a part of an elementary school class project. Rep. Murphy — who died on Dec. 25, 2024, at age 85 — received tributes from several of her former House colleagues and a proclamation from Gov. Tim Walz. It was an honor to pass a bill that would rename the state’s library construction grants program in Rep. Murphy’s honor by a 132-0 vote.
The rest of the week I was engaged in bipartisan negotiations with Republican Chair Ron Kresha to craft the House’s version of an education budget bill. I’m pleased to share that after many long, but productive meetings, our Education Finance bill is done and will be posted by the end of the week. Early next week, the bill will be heard in Education Finance, Taxes, and Ways & Means before it goes to the floor. It is not the bill I would have written if we were in the majority, but it is our duty to get a bill into conference committee with the Senate so that we can continue funding our schools. Stay tuned.
Also this week, we began the process of passing the House’s budget bills. As is the nature of a tied House, these are bipartisan compromises, where neither side gets everything they want. So far, I’m proud to say we’re working together well, having already passed our Agriculture budget, and did the same for our Legacy, Judiciary and Public Safety budgets on Friday.
Committee Work
In addition to serving as the Co-Chair of the House Education Finance Committee, I am on the House Tax Committee and the House Ways & Means Committee. Both of these committees continue to meet. In the Tax Committee, we will continue hearing any bills that have tax implications. The Education Finance bill must go through this committee because certain provisions interact with property taxes school boards can levy. One of the responsibilities of the Ways & Means Committee is to hear finance bills before they reach the House floor. I love sitting on both committees. Ways & Means is particularly interesting because you get to do a bit more of a deep dive on the budget bills from committees that you do not sit on before they reach the House floor.
State of the State
This week, Governor Walz delivered his State of the State Address. While chaos and cuts dominate the headlines out of Washington, here in Minnesota, we’re choosing a different path—one grounded in compassion, progress, and real results. As the Administration in D.C. and their allies continue dismantling the very programs and policies meant to help everyday people, we are standing strong with our Executive branch and allies in our state to ensure Minnesotans are protected.
Every person deserves security, opportunity, and freedom—and that’s why we’re fighting to protect the investments we’ve made in schools, health care, clean energy, public safety, and caring for our kids and seniors. In times like these, Minnesota is fortunate to have steady, values-driven leadership.
It was wonderful to have my good friend Shawn McGerr join me at the State of the State address on Wednesday evening. It is always fun to share this ceremonial piece of our democracy, as well as our beautiful Capitol.
Constituents Visit
Thank you to constituent Ashley from St. Louis Park and her friend Julie who came to discuss supporting the first amendment as well as a bill to repeal a statute that requires a business to set aside their first amendment rights in order to be considered for a state contract.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me with your stories, thoughts, input, and questions anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889. It’s an honor to serve our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors in St. Paul.
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!
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