ST. PAUL – Minnesota state legislators gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday for the first day of the 2015 legislative session. The eighty-ninth session of the legislature includes 26 new members of the Minnesota House of Representatives who were sworn into office along with their colleagues, including Rep. Cheryl Youakim (DFL-Hopkins).
“This is a truly unique experience,” said Rep. Youakim on her first official day as an elected representative. “There is an incredible amount of history and ceremony built into the first day of session and I am deeply honored to have been a part of it. Campaign time is over and now the real work begins. We need to continue our investment in Minnesota’s economy and its future.”
Rep. Youakim was joined by her parents, husband and three children for the swearing-in ceremony that took place in the Minnesota House Chamber.
A long-time Hopkins resident, and former city council member, Rep. Youakim has been preparing for the start of her first term. Late in December, Speaker-designate Kurt Daudt appointed her to three committees: Government Operations and Elections Policy Committee, Property Tax and Local Government Finance Division, and the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee.
“It is so very important to me to carry on the tradition of former Rep. Steve Simon, now Minnesota’s Secretary of State, by listening to the priorities of the people in our communities of Hopkins and St. Louis Park,” explained Youakim. “Simon has left big shoes to fill and I will work hard to make sure that constituents receive the services that they have come to expect and deserve.”
Rep. Youakim is not totally unfamiliar with the legislative process. For the last eight years she has worked in the Minnesota Senate as a legislative assistant for Sen. Ron Latz and has spent the last two years as the committee administrator for the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Youakim said she will focus on the issues important to her constituents, including continuing investments in Minnesota’s world-class education system, improving transportation infrastructure in the region, and ensuring the creation of good-paying jobs in her community.
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