Legislative Update- April 29, 2022

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you’re having a good week. Let’s hope the start of May on Sunday brings more sunshine and warmth! Yesterday, the House, Senate, and Governor reached an agreement on legislation to deliver hero checks to frontline workers who sacrificed their health and their families’ safety to protect us during the height of the pandemic. 

The deal also includes replenishing the Unemployment Insurance trust fund, preserving our small businesses from a massive tax increase as they are just getting back on their feet. I am disappointed that the bill did NOT include giving hourly school workers the ability to access unemployment insurance. We will keep pushing for that. We passed the conference committee report on this compromise on the House floor Friday afternoon.

We’ve been working hard in the House on getting this done since January, and I’m grateful our Senate colleagues decided to join us at the table to find compromise for Minnesota workers and businesses, so everyone can thrive.

On Wednesday this week, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights released a report detailing its investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department. I am extremely troubled by the findings, including allegations that the Minneapolis Police Department engaged in the pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. As my colleagues and I are still reviewing the entirety of the 72 page report, we are scheduling a public hearing to discuss it next week. Kare11 covered the release of the report and you can read more about it here.

All week, we had a flurry of activity on the House Floor, passing supplemental budget bills that invest in our students, schools, agriculture, natural resources, transportation safety and infrastructure, and more. Here’s an update on our progress in the House:

Investing in Students and Teachers

Minnesota students deserve every opportunity to succeed. When I meet with our local school boards, they raise the same issues every year - we’re not supporting our students and teachers enough. The House education bill we passed addresses the key funding shortfalls that have been identified by not only our school districts, but schools across the state.

Minnesota currently has one of the worst highest student-to-counselor ratios in the country. Especially after how hard the pandemic has been on our kids, we need to make sure that mental health resources are available and accessible. Our bill includes dedicated investment to hire additional mental health counselors.

Our communities have always been proud of our outstanding public schools and these investments will enable them to continue to succeed with less pressure to increase their local property tax levies. Let’s make sure that every Minnesota student, no matter what they look like or where they’re from, is able to access a high-quality education. This is a good investment in our students and while I’m glad it passed, it was disappointing to hear anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and hate from a few of my GOP colleagues on the House Floor. You can find more details from Kare11’s news coverage here.

Ensuring Stable, Affordable Housing for All

Having a safe and secure place to call home is essential to public health, educational achievement, and economic security. We’ve worked hard this session to put together a Housing bill that invests in first-generation homeownership, supports our renters, and prioritizes keeping unsheltered Minnesotans safe. We passed this bill on Monday. You can find more details from our non-partisan House news coverage here.

Supporting our Infrastructure, Ensuring Equitable Transportation

We’ve put forward a balanced transportation bill that funds roads, bridges, EV charging infrastructure, bus rapid transit (including the electrification of the transit fleet) and intercity rail; as well as improved customer service in Driver and Vehicle Services and a safer public transit system. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. We’re tackling the climate crisis by making critical investments supporting the transition to electric vehicles. Having previously served on the House Transportation Committee, it’s an issue I continue to be passionate about and I was glad to support the bill.

You can find more details from our non-partisan House news coverage here.

Keeping Minnesota Air, Water, and Land Clean

As Minnesotans, we’re proud of our clean air, water, and soil and the many plants and animals that call our state home. The environment bill will preserve these valuable resources. We are also funding innovative climate solutions and taking action to reduce lead contamination and exposure to dangerous chemicals like PFAS. You can find more details from our non-partisan House news coverage here.

Supporting Free and Fair Elections

Minnesotans regularly lead the nation in voter turnout, thanks in part to our exceptional elections system. We’re building upon that success by investing in our election’s infrastructure, expanding the security and integrity of absentee ballots, and protecting our local elections officials. There are also significant investments in upgrading our outdated core administrative software systems and beefing up our cybersecurity capabilities. Here’s a clip of the discussion. 

Caring for Our Veterans

Too many families have had to deal with the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one to suicide. We’ve let our veterans go unsupported for too long. The House DFL’s Veterans budget includes a variety of solutions to tackle this epidemic and better address veterans’ mental health difficulties. We also include provisions to end veteran homelessness and provide additional economic security for veterans who need it.

Supporting Small Farmers and Soil Health

Investing in sustainable agriculture is one of the quickest ways to support our climate and environment. This includes new investments in the soil-healthy grain Kernza and other emerging soil and water-friendly crops. House DFLers are delivering new investments in farmers and food producers so we can maintain a strong Ag Economy. We also take measures to improve urban agriculture and to help new farmers from diverse backgrounds get into the industry.

Today, we passed the Higher Education bill. And as this report goes out, we are debating the Public Safety bill on the House floor. Next week, I will update you on both of those supplemental budget bills.

Next week, we’ll be taking up our Health and Human Services bill on Tuesday and both the Jobs & Commerce bill as well as the Tax bill on Wednesday. “As chair of the Property Tax Division, my work on the Division Report will be included in the Tax bill.

While we spent the majority of our time on the House floor this week, I had a chance to meet with a group of constituents on the Compassionate Care Act. This is a bill that allows those with a diagnosed terminal illness to make their own end of life medical decisions. I appreciate the folks from Hopkins and St. Louis Park who have shared their very personal stories with me over the years. You can read about the local organization and the bill summary here.

Connect the Community

The City of St. Louis Park is excited to welcome the warmer weather with a community celebration on Sunday, May 15th from 1 - 4 p.m. for the Connect the Community event! It brings together residents, community resources, organizations, and elected officials for fun in Dakota Park. In addition to the State of the City speech and community awards, the City will be cutting the ribbon on the Dakota-Edgewood bike and pedestrian bridge, hosting a community bike ride, sharing treats, and building connections with city representatives. You can find details including an event schedule here. This event is rain or shine, and leashed pets are welcome.

May is National Bike Month

Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to giving biking a try. Mark your calendar for these great Bike Month events and participate if you can!

• May 1-31: Bike Month Scavenger Hunt
• May 4: Hopkins Activity Center Senior Bike Club Talk & Ride, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Maetzold Field
• May 14: Garden Kick-Off Event, 9 to 11 a.m., Valley Park Community Gardens, $10 bike helmet sales
• May 20: Bike to Work Day Energizer Stations, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m., Minnetonka (LRT Trail/Williston Overflow Lot), Hopkins (Maetzold Park Trail)
• May 21: Hopkins Police Department Summer Safety Open House, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hopkins City Hall, FREE bike tunes ups, bike safety demos, $10 helmet sales.

Find more information about Hopkins/Minnetonka Bike Month celebrations. 

Keep in Touch 

Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn or 651-296-9889 with questions or input. Email is the quickest way to get in touch. You are also welcome to follow me on my Facebook page for further updates.

Thank you for the honor of representing you at the Capitol!

Have a great weekend!

Cheryl Youakim
State Representative