 Dear Neighbors, I hope you’re enjoying the brief reprieve of a snowy commute. It’s hard to believe December is already upon us. Last month, Minnesotans elected a unified government- a DFL House, DFL Senate, and DFL Governor. I’m proud and honored to continue my service to our communities of Hopkins and the very southern portion of St. Louis Park. And, with redistricting, I am excited to announce that I will be representing the portion of Edina west of highway 100 and north of highway 62. You can use the updated Minnesota Legislature’s “Who Represents Me?” finder to search for your new state representative and state senator, effective January 3, 2023. I’m also pleased to share I’ve been appointed by House Speaker Hortman as the new House Education Finance Committee chair. We have not received the rest of our committee assignments, so stay tuned. Having worked in our public school system over the years, I have seen firsthand the need for substantial investment. It’s critical we meet the needs of our students and make sure that our teachers, support staff, and our school administrators have the resources they need to do just that. We have a good foundation from last session and although I haven’t officially begun my new role, I’ve already hit the ground running to prepare, speaking to school board members and administrators from across the state. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of third grade students from Xing Xing Academy along with their teachers and chaperones. It is always a wonderful experience hearing from students after they have toured our beautiful Capitol building. It is also fun to ask them what bill they would pass if they had the chance. The answers ranged from making technology less expensive to making sure we take care of our environment. And of course, there was talk of ice cream.  This morning, I toured Edina High School and Edina school’s transportation department with Rep. Heather Edelson and Edina Schoolboard Member Julie Greene. It was great to see EHS in action, providing top notch educational services, like STEAM, Career Technical Education and Technology Pathways, and their transportation operations, which prioritize safety for students.    Budget SurplusTuesday’s economic forecast brought news of a $17.6 billion surplus will set the stage for our legislative work in developing a budget blueprint for the next two years. The updated February forecast to come will provide more specific numbers as we continue our work. You can watch the presentation from Minnesota Management and Budget on the forecast here. As I mentioned above, I’ll be leading efforts in my role as Education Finance chair to partner with our schools to identifying where our shortfalls are and see how we can meet our students where they are at to help them excel. Please contact me anytime with your priorities for the 2023 session and how to best use the surplus, at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov. Save the Date!On Wednesday, January 11 from 7:00-9:00 p.m., the Minnesota League of Women Voters is hosting an Edina Legislator Meet and Greet at the Edina Senior Center. It’ll be an opportunity to reconnect and get to know your new legislators if you’ve been impacted by redistricting. Everyone is welcome!  Name a MnDOT Snowplow For the third year in a row, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is asking Minnesotans for their creative suggestions to name a MnDOT snowplow! Submissions are open until December 16 and are limited to 30 characters. Learn more and submit your idea here.  Keep in TouchI am organizing my January through March Community Conversations. I will let you know as soon as I have the dates and times set. Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions, comments, or to let me know how I can be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent Hopkins, Edina, and St. Louis Park at the Minnesota State Capitol. Happy Holidays!  Warmly,  Cheryl Youakim
State Representative |