On Wednesday, November 19, Rep. Cheryl Youakim (DFL – Hopkins) and Rep. Larry Kraft (DFL – St. Louis Park) will host a Holiday Food Drive in support of the St. Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP). Area residents are invited to bring donations of nonperishable food items to the St. Louis Park Rec Center from 4 to 6 p.m. With the holiday season creating additional financial stress for families, along with delays and uncertainty surrounding federal SNAP payments, the legislators are encouraging community members to donate to prevent neighbors from experiencing hunger.
“This is a particularly challenging time for families to put food on the table, and food shelf programs like STEP are seeing their resources rapidly stretched,” said Rep. Youakim. “Donations – whether food items or financial gifts – can make a big impact in the lives of families in our community. I hope residents who can will step up and generously support STEP’s efforts and make sure no one goes hungry this holiday season.”
“One in nine Minnesotans doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from. While we’ve made progress supporting food shelves and free school meals, we know Minnesotans are facing uncertainty this holiday season,” said Rep. Kraft. “Together, we can make sure every family in our community has enough to eat and no one is left behind this holiday season.”
In November, STEP provides recipients with a comprehensive list of both regular and holiday foods, as well as non-food essentials. The types of items STEP is generally unable to get at bulk prices include rice, canned vegetables and fruit, canned meat (tuna and chicken), jelly, cereals, dessert mixes, cooking oil, sugar, flour, and herbs and spices.
Community members are also invited to make financial donations to STEP by visiting bit.ly/stepdonate or by mailing a check made out to STEP to 6812 West Lake St., St. Louis Park, MN 55426.
Area residents who may need assistance with food are encouraged to call STEP at 952-925-4899 during business hours to set up an appointment to pick up food. Anyone is eligible to access food from STEP.
WHAT: Holiday Food Drive
WHO: Rep. Cheryl Youakim, Rep. Larry Kraft, St. Louis Park Emergency Program
WHERE: St. Louis Park Rec Center Parking Lot, 3700 Monterey Dr., St. Louis Park, 55416
The National Conference on State Legislatures has appointed Rep. Cheryl Youakim (DFL-Hopkins) to serve as a vice chair on the NCSL’s Standing Committee on Education.
“I’m honored to be a part of an important, national conversation about how we can better meet the needs of our students,” said Rep. Youakim. “Collaborating with other state elected officials can help us deliver solutions that keep our kids thriving.”
The Committee educates Congress about state concerns and serves as a forum for state legislators and legislative staff to learn about and share information regarding initiatives in other states. The Education Committee has jurisdiction over a vast variety of education issues, including early childhood education, K-12 education and teachers, special education and higher education.
Rep. Youakim was appointed Chair of the House Education Committee in 2023-2024 and led efforts to protect ongoing funding to meet inflation in future years. Under her leadership, House DFLers delivered free breakfast and lunch for all Minnesota students, more mental health support, and strong investments in reading and literacy programs. She helped navigate complex issues in the nation’s only tied state House and protected these priorities despite GOP attempts to dismantle them.
On Tuesday, September 23rd, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Rep. Julie Greene (DFL – Edina), Rep. Cheryl Youakim (DFL – Hopkins), Rep. Nathan Coulter (DFL – Bloomington), Rep. Steve Elkins (DFL – Bloomington), Senator Alice Mann (DFL – Edina), Mayor James Hovland, and Mayor Tim Busse will host a community conversation on gun violence prevention.
What: Edina and Bloomington Elected Leader’s Community Conversation on Gun Violence
When: Tuesday, September 23rd, from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
ST. PAUL, MN – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the E-12 Education Budget and a standalone bill that funds unemployment insurance for hourly school workers like bus drivers, cafeteria staff, and paraprofessionals.
“This budget agreement reflects our commitment to Minnesota’s students at a time when public education is under attack at the federal level,” said State Representative Cheryl Youakim (DFL-Hopkins), Co-Chair of the House Education Finance Committee. “Thanks to our work last session to link the education formula to inflation, Minnesota schools will still receive funding increases each year going forward, maintaining universal access to free school breakfast and lunch, as well as providing flexibility for our school districts.”
The House Education Budget includes several DFL and GOP initiatives that will increase the number of qualified special education teachers, fund roof repairs and replacements for schools with critical infrastructure needs, expand evidence-based math tutoring programs, and support youth engagement through programs like the Minnesota Youth Council and the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs.
Two years ago, lawmakers indexed per-pupil funding formula increases to inflation. As a result, Minnesota schools are set to receive a 2.7% increase next year and a 3% increase in 2026. This historic move gives school districts funding stability and predictability even during uncertain budget times.
The bipartisan agreement preserves Minnesota’s universal school meals program for every student in Minnesota, regardless of income. More than 150 million meals were served in the inaugural year of the program, saving Minnesota families an estimated $1,000 per student.
Video from today’s floor debate can be found here.
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.
In the 2023-2024 biennium, DFLers delivered an education budget that updates Minnesota’s general education formula to be indexed to inflation. On Friday, February 28 the Minnesota Department of Education shared with Minnesota school districts, due to indexing, the new increase to the per-pupil formula allowance taking effect for the 2025-2026 school year will be a 2.74% increase.
This change will translate to $200 more per pupil, bringing the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 formula allowance to $7,481 per adjusted pupil unit (APU). In previous years, Minnesota schools have needed to wait until the legislature passes the biennial budget to know whether or not the education funding formula would be increased.
DFLers provided a 4% per-pupil increase in the general education formula in FY2024 and a 2% increase in FY2025 for an investment totaling $710 million over the biennium. The overall Education Finance budget provided increases of $2.2 billion in FYs 2024-2025 and $3.2 billion in FYs 2026-2027.
Representative Cheryl Youakim (DFL- Hopkins), DFL Lead on the House Education Finance Committee, cheered the work Democrats delivered for Minnesota students.
“Indexing the formula to inflation will provide our districts the stability they need when planning their budgets,” said Rep. Youakim. “While the past 20 years of underfunding can’t be undone overnight, every step forward, every increased investment, is a positive development for Minnesota kids, families, and our shared success as a state.”
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