Legislative Update – January 27, 2025
Neighbors,
In my last newsletter (which you can read here), I expressed my outrage 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—all to give themselves full control of the House for the next two years.
Lawsuits were quickly filed by the Minnesota Secretary of State and House DFL Leadership following Republicans’ unconstitutional actions, and since then, my DFL colleagues and I have been forced to stay away from the Capitol in protest while awaiting a court decision. These past weeks, I have been working directly with constituents in our district, and I am ready to bring that important work back to the Capitol once a fair agreement is in place.
Last Friday, we received the decision: The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Republicans’ attempted power grab in the Minnesota House violated the state Constitution. That means that every GOP action, including the election of a Speaker and appointment of committees, was 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 shared power if the House returns to a 67-67 tie.
In November, voters elected an equal number of Democrats and Republicans to represent them in the House. Now, it’s time for the GOP to start working together with Democrats to develop a fair power-sharing agreement so we can return to the Capitol to pass a state budget as Minnesotans directed us to do with the outcome of the election in November.
Republicans want to kick out Representative Tabke so they can advance their extreme MAGA agenda. They want to take away reproductive freedoms, 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 the extreme Trump-Republican agenda and protect the progress we have made for Minnesotans over the past two years, whether attacks come from the Minnesota GOP, or the incoming federal administration. I’m looking forward to advocating for the needs of our district in the Minnesota Legislature as soon as Republicans abandon their threats to overturn an election and respect the reality of a tied legislature.
Working for our District
At 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.
Since my last update, I have:
- Attended the Northfield Human Rights Commission’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. along with Mayor Zweifel, our school board members, and superintendent, Carleton students, keynote (and Carleton grad) Minneapolis City Councilor Robin Wonsley, and Felicitation to Lucy: a light in our community who has fought for the immigrants here for more than two decades.
- Met with folks from our district concerned about climate change to discuss how we can find policies that can pass in a bipartisan way.
- Met with the Indian Health Board with members of the Health Committee. Ensuring health care is affordable and accessible for everyone is one of my biggest priorities this session!
- Met with the Carleton College Interfaith Action Group.
- Visited the University of Minnesota Native Bee Lab with environmental champions Rep. Hansen and Fischer. We met with some CFANS Office of International Programs and Forever Green Initiative friends before checking out the Bell Museum’s exhibits and meeting their great staff!
- Worked on legislation funding the successful Riverwatch program with Clean River Partners and Friends of the Minnesota River and worked on Right to Repair Legislation for agricultural equipment with the Minnesota Farmers Union.
- Heard an update from the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships program’s work with the Rice County Landfill to treat forever chemicals like PFAS & PFOS.
- Toured Bridgewater Township’s innovative ideas around sustainable rural housing inspired by Community Action Center - Northfield’s Hillcrest Village alongside State Representative Brad Tabke.
- Attended the Northfield Cannon Falls League of Women Voter’s forum on water put on by Dr. Savina and Dr. Jennings.
- Met with Erin from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy to talk about continuing my work pushing Farm to School programs that help local farmers, school districts, and students alike.
- Met some of my neighbors in Northfield at Sarah’s House, a sober home under the umbrella of Ruth’s House nonprofit in Faribault. It was an honor to meet the residents and staff.
- Virtually met with some township supervisors from District 58A!
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 Commentary
I encourage you to read this powerful commentary?written by my DFL colleagues about the need to keep Minnesota as 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 must be 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.
The road ahead is uncertain and rocky, and it will have consequences for every town, city, county, and state in this nation. But we are Minnesotans, and Minnesota is for everyone! We will do everything in our power to keep it that way.
Please continue to be in touch. It’s an honor to represent you.
Stay Connected!
Unfortunately, due to technological constraints, replies to this newsletter won’t reach my email account. To share your input or ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to reach out at rep.kristi.pursell@house.mn.gov or 651-296-0171, and I will be happy to help.
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