 Dear Neighbors, Happy Friday! The MN 2024 Legislative session has begun and I’m excited to continue this work with our community and Rep. Larry Kraft who represents the other half of Senate District 46.  After the historically productive 2023 Legislative Session, DFLers remain committed to improving people’s lives and building a Minnesota that works better for everyone. In 2024, we will continue working side by side with our neighbors and community members. Together, rooted in the values we all share, we will work to lower the cost of living, deliver economic security for working families, and ensure everyone has the tools they need to thrive. To that end, I’d love to see and hear from you at an upcoming community engagement event. On March from 6:00-7:30 pm, Senator Latz, Rep. Kraft, and I will hold a district town hall meeting at St. Louis Park City Council Chambers.  I am hosting one more community conversation this month on Saturday, February 24 from 10:30-noon in Hopkins. Everyone is welcome to attend these nonpartisan gatherings for a productive dialogue. I will also be hosting two more Community Conversations in March, dates to come.  Session and Committee WorkWe started the week at the Our State Our Future conference which is an annual tradition setting a bipartisan and productive tone for the session to come. This year’s theme involved the importance of early childhood care and education. Our first week of session consisted of several floor sessions. I’m honored to continue to serve in the role of House Education Finance Chair, and we spent our meetings this week going over the implementation of our historic investment in schools across the state. The Minnesota Department of Education has been a steadfast partner with helping ensure these dollars are directed to school districts and distributed appropriately. Students deserve a quality education and quality services, and the DFL majority delivered historic funding for our schools last session to make sure our kids have the resources our kids need to succeed. But you cannot turn around twenty years of underfunding in one session, we still have work to do this session to stabilize our school district’s funding streams.  Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award & Black Entrepreneurs Day at the Capitol On Friday, I was also honored to receive an Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award from the Coalition to Increase Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers in Minnesota. This coalition has been working on increasing teachers of color in our classrooms all over the state so that our students can see themselves in those who are teaching them. They have been doing incredible work growing and diversifying our teacher workforce!  Friday was Black Entrepreneurs Day as the Capitol, and I had the pleasure of meeting M. Ann Pritchard of MAMP Creations. She is an author, artist, and actor. She creates unique gifts with positive messages.  Murdered & Missing Indigenous Relatives Day of RemembranceOn Wednesday we honored Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives Day of Remembrance. Members of the Native American Legislative Caucus in the House took a moment to reflect on this day, its importance, and held a moment of silence. You can watch the remarks here.  Connected to CommunityDFL lawmakers held a press conference this week to promote a bill to require health care insurance coverage for infertility treatments. Fox 9 covered the event and you can read more here. I also had the opportunity to meet with constituents from RESOLVE, an organization that supports folks struggling with fertility. I am a proud co-author of the legislation that was proposed last year and hope we can get it across the finish line this session.  Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to volunteer with my fellow Edina Morningside Rotary members at Bridging. This amazing organization has been serving families since 1987, by providing household goods and furniture to those who are getting stabilized in housing. They accept donations of gently used household goods and furniture, as well as monetary donations, at their site in Bloomington. They have an extensive list of what they accept on their website, so if you are decluttering, downsizing your home, or need a place to donate a gently used couch, check them out!  I had great conversations with our school counselors at the Capitol for their advocacy day and folks advocating for childcare affordability! A big thank you to school counselor Carolyn Berger and Angela Sandoval from Rise Early Learning for all you do for the kids in our communities!  Keep in TouchPlease continue to contact me anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions or input. Email is the quickest way to get in touch. Thank you for the honor of serving our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina residents at the State Capitol. Have a great weekend!  Cheryl Youakim
State Representative |