 Dear Neighbors, I hope you are having a great week and enjoying the sunshine and what is starting to feel like a true Minnesota spring. On Tuesday this week, the legislature gaveled back in from the brief legislative recess to observe Easter. In the House Education Finance Committee, I presented HF 5237, the Governor’s K-12 Education Finance bill for the 2024 legislative session. This bill contains a one-time funding increase for the Professional Educators Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) for technology costs, expands voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) programming in 2025, makes technical and clarifying changes to last year’s laws, and adds an administrative set aside on Head Start funding. It is customary for the Chair of a Committee to introduce the Governor and Lieutenant Governor’s bill proposal and then present it to the committee for discussion. Now that we have committee targets, our House Education Finance Committee will start to put together the final House Education Finance bill from the bill proposals we heard in committee. Our budget target is $43 million in one-time investments from the supplemental budget, which means that we will be looking at proposals that do not have ongoing funding. On Thursday, the House began passing policy bill packages in major issue areas. These bills build on the work of our historically productive 2023 session that focused on improving the lives of Minnesotans. The House passed two policy bills supporting our Departments of Military Affairs and Veterans Affairs, which passed with unanimous support! We passed a higher education policy bill that includes the clean energy sector in our Workforce Development Scholarship Program and expands support in higher education for students who have a disability. We also passed an early education policy bill focused on strengthening our pre-kindergarten and school readiness programs. Finally, we passed a transportation policy package that improves road safety, DVS wait times, child passenger safety, and consumer protections.  Photo courtesy of the Minnesota House of Representatives Photography Transgender Day of VisibilityWe recognized Transgender Day of Visibility at the end of March. I’m proud that Minnesota is a state that accepts all people for who they are. I will always fight to make Minnesota a safe and welcoming state where everyone can live as their authentic self.  Connected to CommunityWhile we have been spending long hours in committee and on the floor, there was still time to meet with a few constituent groups that were here at the Capitol this week. Meeting and speaking with constituents from our community is the best part of this job. This week, I was grateful to have had the chance to meet with folks from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Housing First Minnesota, and the Karen Organization of Minnesota.  The Karen Organization of Minnesota  AFSCME Keep in TouchPlease continue to reach out anytime with input, questions, or to let me know how I can provide assistance. I can be reached at 651-296-9889 or rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov. Email is the quickest way to get in touch. Thank you for the honor of serving our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors at the Capitol. Have a great weekend!  Cheryl Youakim
State Representative |