Dear neighbors, After years of legislative gridlock that hindered our state's progress, House DFLers successfully passed transformative legislation to benefit Minnesotans for generations to come. However, these hard-won achievements now face significant challenges. While House GOP members temporarily hold the majority, they are prioritizing bills that are causing chaos and fear that simply won't pass the legislature as they need 68 votes to pass any piece of legislation. In just the past week, House Republicans have introduced a concerning series of bills that would fundamentally undermine key protections for Minnesota families. These proposals would delay crucial worker protections under the Minnesota Paid Leave Law, roll back established reproductive healthcare rights, and reduce essential funding for vital social services that support our most vulnerable neighbors. These actions represent a direct threat to the progress we've made together and could have far-reaching consequences for Minnesota communities. House Republicans are wasting precious time on political theatre instead of working on bipartisan initiatives to support working Minnesotans who are dealing with real issues like Trump’s manufactured raising inflation costs of eggs and gas, uncertainty about losing their health care coverage with potential threats to Medicaid and MinnesotaCare, losing SNAP benefits and not being able to feed their children or themselves, or taking care of an elderly parent, or a number of things. In Minnesota, we’ve made progress in protecting and prioritizing the needs of Minnesotans. But as long as corporations continue to game the system, many working families will face the burden of a system that puts profits over people. Wealthy and powerful corporate interests — across industries and geography — have tilted the economy in their favor, and it’s time for that to change. DFL’s 2025-2026 Legislative Priorities The DFL’s legislative priorities and vision for Minnesota is much different. DFLers are working to ensure children can get the great start they deserve, and parents have the opportunity to pursue their careers by providing affordable, accessible childcare and early learning opportunities throughout Minnesota. Democrats will reduce the cost of child care for hard-working Minnesotans. DFLers are also working to ensure families and future generations can live and thrive here by making stable housing more affordable by jumpstarting construction of more starter homes and affordable homes to rent, closing racial disparities in home ownership, and cracking down on out-of-state corporations and hedge funds that are taking away home ownership opportunities from Minnesotans and illegally price gouging renters.  Additionally, DFLers are committed to supporting and protecting the freedoms of Minnesotans to make their own decisions about their lives and their reproductive rights, protecting our climate and clean water, creating opportunities for good family-supporting jobs, and a public education system that prepares students to pursue their dreams. Video of the news conference is available on the House DFL Facebook page. I remain deeply committed to serving the people of our district and all Minnesotans. I am dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the values and policies we have diligently worked to establish. I will continue to engage in constructive dialogue, while resolutely upholding those principles that ensure a prosperous and equitable future for our state. Ban on Trans Athletes Firstly, this has been troubling and heart aching in the wake of the brutal and horrific murder of Sam Nordquist. President Trump campaigned on a wave of attacks against women and transgender people, including spending more than $215 million on ads scapegoating trans people and our health care. Now in the Minnesota legislature, through hateful legislation, House Republicans are telling trans youth athletes they don’t matter, and they don’t belong in sports. The bill is not moving through the proper committees and was voted by the GOP majority to send the bill to the House floor for debate. I want to be clear: this bill will NOT become law in Minnesota. I want to thank all the testifiers for using their powerful voices in support of inclusive sports and for denouncing the GOPs harmful attacks against our trans athletes. Defending Minnesota Students, Supporting Teachers This week, the House Education Policy Committee heard legislation authored by Republican Ron Kresha repealing Minnesota’s ethnic studies program DFLers passed last biennium. In 2023, the legislature passed a bill requiring school districts to offer an ethnic studies course in high school by the 2026-27 school year, requiring ethnic studies to be embedded into every new revision of each of the academic standards, and establishing a working group to recommend educational resources and materials on ethnic studies that school districts could use. The Republican bill suspends implementation of the most recent revision of the social studies standards and benchmarks, instead allowing schools to continue providing instruction aligned to the outdated social studies standards of past decades. I am deeply moved by the dedication of both students and educators who made their voices heard. These young people, our future leaders, understand the importance of having culturally responsive curriculum and school policies that ensure every student, regardless of where they live, look like, or worship receives the same excellent educational opportunities. I proudly stand with them in their fight to protect our Minnesota public schools and support our educators - the true backbone of our education system who show up every day to shape our children's future. Watch a short clip of the student’s testimony here. Watch the full House Education Committee hearing here. Delay of Paid Family Leave Law During the Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development committee debate, the Minnesota AFL-CIO president Bernie Burnham said, “working Minnesotans are ready for the peace of mind that comes from knowing we will have the freedom to care for ourselves, and the people we love, without sacrificing a paycheck.” All Minnesotans deserve time to care for themselves and family members, whether it’s for a new baby, an unexpected illness, or an aging parent. The GOP’s continued opposition is mainly driven by ideology and the influence of large business lobbies, who seek to avoid paying their fair share while still benefiting from our collective resources and labor. The Minnesota Paid Leave Law is not only a common-sense solution but also extremely popular, with 80% of voters supporting it, across party lines. I am thankful for the leadership and advocacy from our union groups and members defending and protecting this long overdue law. Watch powerful testimonies from AFL-CIO members here. Empowering our Dreamers and Latine/o Neighbors My DFL colleagues and I are working to sustain pathways to academic opportunities for Minnesota Dreamers and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they deserve. House Republicans are advancing policies that mirror the Trump administration's dehumanization and vilification of our Latino communities, causing chaos with discriminatory policies. Sponsored by Republican Rep. Isaac Schultz, HF10 would restrict 'undocumented noncitizens' from receiving various services, payments, grants, loans, subsidies, and other forms of financial aid or assistance funded by state tax revenue, including the North Star Promise college scholarship program and MinnesotaCare health coverage. It is both shameful and unnecessary to target individuals in our communities who seek to improve their skills and better their economic contributions to our state, and who need access to healthcare when they or their families become ill. It is dangerous to strip access to education and healthcare for partisan political points while filling the pockets of billionaire corporations. DFLers will not allow these attempts to repeal hard-fought legislation that enhances the lives of Minnesotans and brings economic development to our state. |