Legislative Update – January 28, 2025Dear Neighbors, In my last newsletter (which you can read here), I expressed my frustration and disappointment that on the first day of the legislative session, Minnesota House Republicans attempted an illegitimate power grab, ignoring the law, the constitution, and the will of the voters who sent a tied house to St Paul —all to give themselves full control of the House for the next two years. Remember, voters did not elect a Republican or Democrat majority in the House. They sent an equal number of both with the expectation that we co-govern. Lawsuits were quickly filed by the Minnesota Secretary of State and House DFL Leadership following Republicans’ unconstitutional actions. Since then, my DFL colleagues and I have been forced to stay away from the Capitol while awaiting a court decision. Make no mistake – I have been busier than ever working for our community. I have been drafting bills and working directly with constituents, and I am ready to bring that important work back to the Capitol. Last Friday, we received the Court’s decision: The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Republicans’ attempted power grab in the Minnesota House violated the state Constitution. That means that every action taken by Republicans since Jan 14, including the election of a fake Speaker and appointment of fake committees, was unconstitutional, unlawful, and illegitimate. This is the correct decision, and now Republicans must stop trying to overturn an election they lost, agree to seat Rep. Brad Tabke, and agree to co-govern when the House returns to a 67-67 tie. Our offer would give Republican leadership control until we are back to a tie, but they have refused to accept that responsibility. Again, last November, voters elected an equal number of Democrats and Republicans to represent them with the expectation that we co-govern together with integrity. It’s time for my Republican colleagues to take action and start working with Democrats to develop a fair co-governing agreement that honors the will of Minnesota voters. I am anxious for an agreement to be struck so we can return to the Capitol to co-govern as Minnesotans intended. Republicans have made it very clear that they intend and want to kick out Representative Tabke from our neighboring Shakopee so they can advance an extreme agenda that most of our community does not support. They want to strip our progress on protecting reproductive freedom, eliminate paid leave for families, and get rid of free school meals for kids. That agenda is not our district’s agenda, and our district deserves to have our voices and values heard in this tied House. Democrats will fight this unpopular and extreme Republican agenda and vow to protect the progress we have made for Minnesotans over the past two years. Whether these attacks come from the Minnesota Republicans or the incoming federal administration, I’m ready and looking forward to advocating for the needs of our district in the Minnesota Legislature. I am calling on Republicans to abandon their threats to overturn the Shakopee election and respect the reality that Minnesotans expect us to co-govern in a tied legislature. Working for our DistrictAt this time, I’m doing everything within my power to work on the priorities of our district and ensure that the voices of you, my constituents, are not ignored by the House Republicans. I’ve been meeting with local leaders, community organizations, and folks on the ground who are dedicated to making Minnesota a better place. Over the last week, I’ve: - I attended a Municipal Legislative Coalition meeting with Rep. Kaela Berg, Burnsville Mayor Kautz, and Council Member Gustafson talking about the importance of local government partnerships.
- Connected with folks for Guardian ad Litem's Day to talk about how we can best protect children in our courts this legislative session.
- I met with the Minnesota Community Action Partnership to discuss supporting the Family Asset Investments in Minnesotans (FAIM) program funding to continue expanding the matched savings program and financial coaching to more Minnesotans.
- I also visited Hennepin County Social Services to learn from AFCSME Frontline social services workers about their work with people applying for public benefits like WIC, cash assistance, housing and food assistance, waiver services, medical assistance, and more.
- Rep. Berg and I visited the City of Burnsville, Fire Department to learn about their pilot program carrying type O-negative whole blood — safe for all transfusions, in one of its fire trucks. Working with Memorial Blood Centers, our first responders are leading the state in pioneering this program! Thank you so much for showing us around, and for all the work you do for our community.
 You can keep up with all that work by checking out my Official State Representative Facebook page, and I’d encourage you to also share my posts with our neighbors to get the word out that House DFLers are working hard for our communities and fighting against Republican’s attempt to overturn election results and push through their unpopular agenda.  Hold the Line – Star Tribune CommentaryI encourage you to read this powerful commentary written by my DFL colleagues about the need to keep Minnesota a beacon of hope. During the last biennium, my DFL colleagues accomplished a lot of good, bringing our state closer to a place where all people have the freedom to live their best life. We moved to protect the rights of the most vulnerable and improve the economy for working- and middle-class families. We fought hard to get where we are, and we won’t back down now.  Trump’s “divide-and-conquer” politics stand in stark contrast to how DFL majorities have made progress on the things that matter to Minnesotans. We are prepared to defend the victories that Minnesota workers and families fought for years to deliver: free school meals for every child, access to paid family and medical leave for workers, protecting reproductive freedom and LGBTQ rights, expanding access to health care, and making prescription drugs like insulin and asthma inhalers more affordable, bold action on climate change, and creating more opportunities for Minnesotans to buy a home right here in our community. The political road ahead is unfortunately uncertain and rocky, and it will likely have consequences for every town, city, county, and state in this nation. But we are Minnesota, and Minnesota is for everyone. We will do everything in our power to keep it that way and defend our culture of being welcoming, kind, diplomatic, and forward-thinking. Please continue to be in touch. It’s an honor to represent you, and I promise to keep working hard to strike a co-governing agreement that honors the will of Minnesota voters. |