 Dear neighbors, Lots going on! Last week, a special election in Roseville confirmed something most of us have known since last November: voters delivered a tied Minnesota House of Representatives. DFL Rep. David Gottfried (pic below from his first day) was sworn into the Minnesota House Monday, returning us to an even 67-67 split. The bipartisan power-sharing agreement my DFL colleagues and I fought for ensures that the governing of the House will now reflect that tie, with committees having balanced membership and DFL and GOP co-chairs.  This means that bills don’t only need bipartisan support to pass the House - as has always been the case this session (it takes 68 to pass a bill in the House) - they now need bipartisan support to even pass committees. Ideally, this would mean that we’re spending less time on hyper-partisan bills that have no chance of passing the House, which has been the case too many times these last few weeks. I’ll highlight some of those below. A tied House will be a unique, historic experience - it’s happened only one other time in Minnesota, and that was 50 years ago! It’s going to be a pretty fascinating time, where we have to work together to get anything done. The focus now must turn especially to passing a budget. Park Tavern Press Conference Last September, our community experienced an unimaginable tragedy when an extremely intoxicated man drove through an outdoor patio at Park Tavern, killing Park Tavern server Kristina Folkerts and Methodist Hospital Unit Coordinator Gabe Harvey and injuring nine others. If you get this legislative update, then you've likely made memories at Park Tavern, as it’s been an SLP landmark for more than 60 years. Whether it’s going bowling, playing Bingo, or engaging in trivia, generations of families have gone to this space. Beyond entertainment, Park Tavern has consistently given back, hosting fundraisers for local schools, supporting charitable organizations, and providing a welcoming space for all. Unbelievably, the driver had five prior Minnesota DWI convictions. Shortly after the tragedy, I began looking into Minnesota’s DWI policies, focusing on public safety, especially relative to repeat offenders. What I learned was that most people who commit a DWI offense don’t commit a second. But if someone commits a second, the likelihood of committing more goes up - quite a bit. I also learned that, according to the CDC, ignition interlock, the kind of breathalyzer test for a car, reduces repeat DWI offenses by about 70%. I also learned that interlock is more effective than license suspension alone, as 50-75% of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license. And yet, Minnesota’s current approach to interlock time requirements is linear, meaning a second offense gets one or two years, a third offense gets three years, a fourth offense gets four years, etc. But this doesn’t match the date for repeat offenders - so the legislation ramps the interlock time a lot more aggressively while also reducing barriers to folks getting on the interlock. This is one of my top priorities this session, and last Friday, Senator Latz and I had a press conference and stood alongside advocates, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, and victims in announcing new bipartisan legislation to strengthen our approach to repeat DWI offenders. This is a critical step toward justice, prevention, and safer roads for everyone. You can watch the press conference and learn more about our efforts here. The bill had its first hearing on Wednesday this week in the House Transportation Committee. I was joined by St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed, Police Chief Bryan Kruelle, and Methodist Hospital President Jen Myster. The bill passed unanimously out of this committee. It has one more committee stop before it can go to the floor. It was also heard in the Senate this week.  I highlighted this issue on The Break Down with Brodkorb and Becky Podcast which came out today. We discussed this legislation, Park Tavern’s story, and how the legislature is working together to cross the finish line. I really appreciate Michael’s outspoken advocacy on drunk driving, turning his own story into helping others. You can hear the episode here, and view it here.  The BudgetRecently, a new state economic forecast confirmed that reckless federal policies are already moving Minnesota’s economy and state budget in the wrong direction, making life more expensive for hardworking Minnesotans. Last November, the state budget forecast showed a $3.7 billion surplus over the current budget cycle, a $616 million positive balance in the upcoming biennium (2026/27), and our highest budget reserve fund ever–all due to responsible DFL governance. In 2028/29, primarily due to forecasted rising long term care costs driven by demographics and an aging population, and increasing costs in serving childrens with disabilities (an area where the federal government has rightly mandated services that all states need to provide yet has never met their funding commitments), the budget showed a $5.1B deficit. But as of today, Minnesota’s projected positive balance in 2026/27 has shrunk to $456 million and the deficit in 2028/29 has increased to $6B.  Instead of bringing down prices as they promised on the campaign trail, Trump and Republicans in Congress are on the verge of enacting a sweeping tax cut for corporations and the ultra-wealthy, and they’re going to pay for it by slashing federal investments in health care for children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities. This will have dire consequences for the people of Minnesota and our state budget. This latest budget forecast means that the Legislature must be laser-focused on a state budget that helps working and middle-class Minnesotans, not corporations and billionaires who are doing better than ever. As your representative, I’m committed to fighting for an economy where everyone can get ahead. I really believe in the words of the late Senator Paul Wellstone, that “we all do better, when we all do better.” I will continue to oppose Republican bills to lower taxes for the rich, put barriers to healthcare access, and repeal policies that help Minnesotans thrive, like Paid Family and Medical Leave. Minnesota Energy Alley to Powering Innovation This week I brought forward a bipartisan bill to the Energy Committee—an initiative that will position Minnesota as a national leader in clean energy innovation. The legislation invests in the Minnesota Energy Alley - our vision of creating a "Silicon Valley" for clean energy right here in Minnesota! We are already at the forefront of deploying clean energy, and this legislation serves as an opportunity to capitalize on that momentum to build a thriving energy innovation ecosystem. This sector is one of the fastest-growing global markets of the 21st century, and it has the potential to be a major driver of jobs and investment in Minnesota. Two years ago, we invested $3 million into Energy Alley, and we now see it’s working - to attract outside money and to commercialize exciting new technologies in Minnesota. And it's on the path to being self-funding in the next few years. This is a great example of a private-public partnership and an opportunity to cement Minnesota’s leadership in clean energy innovation. Let’s seize it! You can learn more by watching the bill hearing.  Final GOP Bills on the FloorNow that the House is back to our co-governance agreement, committees have moved to have equal numbers of members from each party and co-chairs who will share the gavel. I view this as an opportunity to work together on the priorities of Minnesotans. Despite House Republicans having controlled committees and Floor agendas, it’s important to note they spent almost all that time on extreme priorities that never passed the chamber. The GOP brought a hateful and dangerously invasive bill to the House floor that would ban trans kids from playing sports. HF 12 was dangerous and discriminatory legislation which scapegoated a small and vulnerable group of Minnesotans. I'm proud I voted against it. You can watch a student athlete speak to the cruelty of this bill and you can see my floor remarks about the bill here. Another was their “Shoot First” bill. Currently, 27 states have Shoot First laws, and every one of them has a higher rate of gun deaths than Minnesota, with the average rate of gun deaths being more than twice Minnesota’s. Shoot First laws are also associated with heavy racial bias. A study in Florida found that white shooters killing Black victims is deemed justifiable five times more frequently than when the situation is reversed. Over the past two years, House DFLers took action to reduce gun violence by requiring criminal background checks and creating Extreme Risk Protection Orders. These policies are already making a difference. In fact, Minnesota has one of the lowest firearm mortality rates in the US, in large part to our sensible and safety-centered gun violence prevention laws. Democrats refuse to allow Republicans to strip or weaken hard-fought rights. Constituent MeetingsI really love to meet with folks at the Capitol! Been having lots of meetings - on topics ranging from art to education to organ donors to Alzheimers to construction and more. Here are some pictures (and yes, I share homemade ice cream whenever I can).   Fun in the CommunityThis past weekend, we assembled a top-notch team (1st pic) of ice bowlers to participate in ShamROC bowling at the ROC. Our “Capitol Strikers” team had a blast. Many thanks to the SLP City Staff (2nd pic) who organized the event and the hockey kids who retrieved the balls and set up the pins.   |