 Neighbors, I’m excited to tell you that my new colleague, Rep. David Gottfried of Roseville, was sworn in last Monday! This brings the Minnesota House back to a 67-67 tie. This means that committees have returned to an even split of Democrat and Republican members. I have officially taken my position as co-Vice Chair of the Public Safety committee, a position I also held last term. I’m also excited to announce that Speaker Emerita Hortman appointed me to the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Information and BCA Advisory Group for the 2025-2026 biennium. Now that we’ve returned to a tie, Republicans and Democrats must collaborate to put bills on the House Floor. It is my hope that from here on out, true bipartisanship will guide our work in committee and on the Floor. If this past week is a reflection of things to come, I am feeling cautiously optimistic about our ability to work together across the aisle. I’ve been working very closely with my Republican colleagues on a number of bills this past week. I also enjoyed an hour and a half-long hearing (which is NOT normal!) on my compensatory revenue bill (discussed below) where I was basically in emphatic agreement with my Republican colleagues throughout the hearing. Hopefully this tied term will strengthen relationships that will benefit the legislature as an institution as we move into future more normal legislative structures.  On Thursday, we passed a bill of mine off the House Floor with strong bipartisan support. The bill modernizes Minnesota’s statute on property partition, which has not been updated in 120 years. The bill also updates statute to reflect case law on partitions, clarifies law on eminent domain, and makes last term’s Transfer on Death Deed (TODD) law retroactive. I'm so excited that this bill is among the first to pass off the House and Senate Floors and be sent to the Governor’s desk for signature. We passed my initial TODD bill almost exactly one year ago, and these important technical changes will ensure that innocent mistakes by people who prepare the paperwork without the assistance of lawyers don't affect property rights in court. Currently, I’m working on legislation to address funding shortfall schools are experiencing due to funding formula changes for Universal School Meals called compensatory revenue. Compensatory revenue is additional funding provided to schools to support at-risk students in need of additional resources to meet academic standards. Before the implementation of Universal School Meals, eligibility for free and reduced lunch was heavily utilized as a proxy in determining compensatory revenue allocation. When the Minnesota House passed Universal School Meals in 2023, a program that has been widely beneficial and highly popular with Minnesotans, the bill included language to ensure compensatory revenue for individual schools did not fall below previous years’ levels. However, inflation and fluctuation in classroom sizes, as well as demographic shifts in student populations, have necessitated an update to the formula to better reflect a per-pupil guaranteed dollar amount rather than a funding floor determined by previous years’ numbers. Compensatory revenue is a massive part of schools’ budgets and we must therefore respond quickly to their needs in updating this formula. This bill would not only address the short-term impact and get resources to schools that need them, but it would also establish a task force to look at the bigger picture and determine how best to set and allocate compensatory revenue now that families don’t have to worry about applying for free or reduced meals. I was able to speak with teachers from our community about this when I welcomed teachers and school leaders from Mounds View, Columbia Heights, and Saint Anthony to the Capitol last week. We also discussed pay, pensions, and how we can ensure that class sizes are optimal. I also had the chance to meet with advocates supporting Youth Intervention Programs following a bill hearing on my legislation to support YIPA, restorative justice advocates, and advocates for addressing homelessness and housing insecurity across Minnesota. I always truly enjoy these constituent meetings – thanks to everyone who took the time to visit the Capitol in the past weeks!  |