Legislative Update 03.21.25

Legislative Update

Hello friends,

It's been a week of change at the Capitol. We have officially wrapped up the first week in a tied chamber, with 67 members on each side. This has slowed down business, since a bill can't make it out of committee without bipartisan support. However, several of my bills are still moving and I have updates since last week. Thank you for taking the time to read my update, I'm happy to share with you!

Updates from the Capitol

HF6 - Education Priority Bill. Although I am not the chief author, this bill is our most important and holistic education bill. This bill was heard in committee and tabled for future consideration.

HF629 - Bonding for Blooming Prairie

HF630 - Extension of Short-Call Substitute Teacher Program. This bill was laid over for possible future consideration. 

HF877 - Amending the Read Act. This bill was referred to Education Finance, and I am currently working with other representatives so that it will be ready for another hearing in the future.

HF1128 - Requiring public high schools to participate in the direct admissions program

HF1170 - Bonding for the Minnesota BioImaging Center of the Hormel Institute

HF1178 - Bonding for the Mower County FAARM program

HF1381 - Out-of-field permissions exempted from limit on renewals

HF1456 - Austin; local sales and use tax authorized

HF1538 - Teacher apprenticeships funding provided, report required, and money appropriated. This bill is expected to be heard next week in the Labor and Workforce Development Committee.  

HF1959 - Teacher preparation program grant eligibility modified. This bill was heard last week in the Education Finance Committee and laid over for possible consideration in the future. 

HF1960 - Displaced homemaker programs funding provided, and money appropriated. This bill was heard on Wednesday in Labor and Workforce Development. Laid over for possible inclusion later in the session.

HF2246 - Civic education grants funding provided, and money appropriated. For Youth in Government.

HF2372 - Civic seal designation for high school students provided. This bill will have a hearing on Tuesday, March 25th in Education Policy.

Mueller Minute

In this weeks Mueller Minute, I gave an overview of my education bills and where they are at in the legislative process. I listed it above, but forgot to mention in the video, that my civic seal bill is officially HF2372.

Capitol Events This Week 

One evening this week, we had the chance to come together as a community in celebration of Iftar. We gathered for dinner and conversation, and I had so much fun! Thank you to Representative Hussein for the invitation and for all who helped organize this event.

We had Disability Services Day on the Hill this week, and I got to meet with these ladies. It is concerning to hear about the negative impacts that Governor Walz's proposed budget cuts will have on people with disabilities and their caregivers. I appreciate the individuals who came to advocate for themselves and these services, which are critical to people with disabilities.

We celebrated National Agriculture (Ag) Day this week. I got to visit with local FFA students and individuals with the Minnesota Farm Bureau. I always love to meet students, so it was great to have the FFA here again, and we had a great discussion as a group about the agriculture industry on a fitting day!

The best day of the year, puppy day, was this week!! The animal humane society came with a little of German Shepherd puppies and they were sooo cute. I appreciate the work of the humane society and I especially appreciate being able to hold a puppy at work.

Events

The Mower County Dairy Luncheon is this Sunday, March 23rd at noon. This is an opportunity to celebrate the work of the Mower County dairy industry and crown the new royalty!

The Blooming Prairie Education Foundation's annual auction will be on Saturday March 29th!

Get your tickets to the Austinaires: Country Roads Performance. Tickets are on sale for April 10-12th.

Shoutouts

The Smashing Cancer Demo Derby raised $18,000 last weekend, which will support cancer research!

We also had a fundraising effort to benefit the Ehmke family, who was impacted by a fire that destroyed their home. The total raised was over $30,000! Please continue to keep your eyes out for ways to support them as they navigate this difficult time.

Shoutout to the 2025 All-Herald Girls Basketball Team, including Gracie Foster (Grand Meadow), Breeley Gall (Southland), Ajiem Agwa (Austin), and Lauren Queensland (Grand Meadow). Second team and honorable mentions can be found at the link above. Congratulations to all!

HUGE shoutout to Austin's Sam Winkels who earned the title of Section 1AA Wrestler of the Year. This is an impressive accomplishment to round out an awesome season. Congratulations, Sam!

Please Contact Me

Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-4193 or by email at rep.patricia.mueller@house.mn.gov 

Have a great weekend!