Dear Neighbors, Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we’re nearly halfway through the first month of 2025. I’m honored to have taken the oath of office to serve our West Saint Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, and Sunfish Lake communities for a second term in the Minnesota House of Representatives.  Public service is working for the people of Minnesota and I’m excited to continue to build on the progress we’ve made together over the past two years. With your help, we’ve ensured every child has a free meal at school, cut taxes for working-class families, enacted sensible gun violence prevention measures, capped co-pays on epi-pens, emergency insulin, and inhalers, improved pedestrian infrastructure, and more. New laws that reflect these changes and so much more took effect on January 1, and you can find a comprehensive list of them here.  Teamwork within local, state, and federal partnerships can result in great regional assets like the new Veterans Memorial Greenway. It's one way to thank those who wear the uniform and defend our freedoms every day. I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with our cities to secure nursing home funding for Southview Acres Health Care Center, Woodlyn Heights Healthcare Center, and Good Samaritan Society in Inver Grove Heights. After decades of underfunding, we made significant progress in ensuring our students get the academic and wellbeing support they need to thrive. I’m also excited about the work we accomplished enacting a Paid Family and Medical Leave program, so nobody is forced to choose whether or not to take care of themselves or others, bond with a newborn, and their ability to provide for themselves or their family. From cradle to career and into golden years, investing in people of all ages, and putting our communities first has been my priority.  I'm glad to continue the good work so our kids have what they need to be successful in and out of the classroom. Even as our productive progress in 2023-2024 continues to take shape, and a negotiated structure for operations under a 67-67 tie this year, during a press conference on Monday last week, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle confirmed they plan to try to use a temporary two-week, one-seat plurality to seize control of the House for the next two years. They also made clear that they would use their temporary one-vote plurality to unseat a duly elected DFL state representative, Brad Tabke of Shakopee, and order a special election regardless of the fact he won. This would disenfranchise the nearly 22,000 voters who cast their ballots last fall. I am hopeful that the power-sharing agreement in place from November can be restored. Minnesotans voted for a tied state House, and I want to get to work with my Republican colleagues and govern under shared power. Please continue to reach out anytime at rep.mary.frances.clardy@house.mn.gov or 651-296-3533. I value your input and ideas about upcoming legislation. You’re welcome to follow me for additional updates on my official Facebook page here. Forward, Mary Frances Clardy
State Representative |