Dear Neighbors,
April showers bring May flowers! Our heavy rain earlier this week didn’t damper our progress in St. Paul, growing the middle class and helping Minnesota families thrive. The final budget deadline is today and committees wrapped up their work this week. We will now transition to spending more time on the floor debating the various supplemental budget bills. The Ways & Means Committee, on which I serve, sees all of these bills before they move to the floor. So, I will be spending the next two weeks getting a preview of the floor sessions to come. The Capital Investment Committee does not have a set deadline, so they are continuing the work of putting the bonding bill together.
Committee Action
This week, committees are vetting and passing supplemental budget bills to their final stop in the Ways and Means Committee before they go to the House Floor. I’m excited to share that we advanced the Education Finance Supplemental Budget bill (HF5237) out of our committee on Wednesday after a very robust discussion. The bill then made a brief stop in Taxes on Friday, because of levy interactions. And, now it is on it’s way to the Ways & Means Committee before going to the House floor. You can see some of the details in the non-partisan staff summary and the spreadsheet.
Floor Action
On Monday, the House passed SF 2904/HF 2774, the 2024 Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Lands bill. The policy package includes nation-leading legislation modernizing statutes on native rough fish, and expanding opportunities to protect native prairies. It also includes funds to prepare Minnesotans for a new Electronic Licensing System, including a mobile phone app, for issuing angling and hunting licenses, visitor permits, and outdoor recreation vehicle registrations.
Also on Monday, we passed the Commerce policy bill, which focuses on consumer and child protections, debt reform, net neutrality, and more. The HHS policy bill passed as well, and includes important provisions such as guaranteeing people with disabilities get to stay in their communities while they live in group homes, modernizing deaf and hard-of-hearing statutues, and ensuring opioid treatment programs are responsive to workforce shortages and availability of counselors.
Last year, DFLers legalized adult-use cannabis, along with the possession and growing of cannabis plants for personal, recreational use. However, buying cannabis legally at a licensed retail business in the state is not set to begin until early next year. The Cannabis Policy bill we passed yesterday is meant to expedite the process of setting up a good, legitimate marketplace for cannabis to displace that illicit marketplace that’s in place currently. You can read more about what the bill contains here.
We also passed a strong Tenant’s Rights Policy Bill, which includes provisions to safeguard tenants’ right to organize, protect tenant survivors of domestic violence, clarify tenant’s rights to emergency services, prohibit rental discrimination based on public assistance, and more. Hopkins has many rental units, so this bill holds particular importance for residents in our district. More details in the bill are included here.
Connected to Community
As always, my favorite part about this work is connecting with the people I represent in Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina. This week, I had a chance to meet with constituents from Moms Demand Action and the Educational Partnership Coalition which included Children’s First from St. Louis Park). Rep. Mary Frances Clardy (Vice Chair of Education Finance) and I also met with the Minnesota Association of Secondary Principals to discuss some of the items in the House Education bill.
Moms Demand Action
Educational Partnership Coalition
Minnesota Association of Secondary Principals
Free Park Day
Get your hiking boots ready -- Saturday, April 27 is the next free entrance day to all Minnesota parks! Minnesota state parks are open year-round, and there's a state park within 30 miles of most Minnesotans. With a free day in each season, it's a great opportunity to get out there and explore someplace new! Whether you stay for the whole weekend or just spend a few hours outside, you'll make memories that will last a lifetime. So be sure to get out and visit our wonderful parks!
Keep in Touch
Please continue to contact me anytime with questions, input, ideas, or to let me know how I can be of assistance at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889. Email is the quickest way to get in touch.
Thank you for the honor of representing you and your family in the Minnesota House.
Have a great weekend!
Cheryl Youakim
State Representative