Legislative Update – January 15, 2025
Neighbors,
This week I was sworn in as your state representative for District 62B. It is truly an honor to have earned your vote and your trust to bring the voices of our community to the Capitol. I’m looking forward to getting started this week—meeting with local leaders, community organizations, and more. I’m hopeful that we can accomplish great things for our community by working together.
I would also like to thank our district’s former Representative Hodan Hassan for her amazing leadership on behalf of District 62B these past six years, as well as her support and mentorship. Her strong voice and advocacy will be missed at the Capitol, and I will strive daily to fill the large shoes she leaves behind. I wish her the best in her next endeavors.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Anquam (ahn-AHM) Mahamoud. I moved to Minnesota at the age of 8 and grew up in the East Phillips Neighborhood. I graduated from St. Catherine University with a B.S. in Psychology, becoming one of the first state caseworkers with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) rollout. I was the State Planning Director for Individual Market Policy, Eligibility, and Enrollment for MNsure, and most recently have worked providing direct services for some of our most vulnerable neighbors struggling with substance use and homelessness.
It's been an honor serving Minnesota in these capacities, and I'm so excited about what we can accomplish together in this new role.
Committee Assignments
I’m proud to have been appointed to serve on the Energy, Health, and Judiciary Finance and Civil Law committees for the 2025-26 legislative biennium. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience in public health to the legislature and working on lowering healthcare costs, increasing access, protecting our environment, and ensuring our judicial system works better for everyone.
Start of Session
You may have heard about yesterday’s tumultuous start to the legislative session. I wanted to take the time to explain the situation and why my DFL colleagues and I are working to protect the integrity of our institution and ensure our district has effective representation.
This past election, Minnesotans voted for equal numbers of Democratic and Republican state representatives. A 67-67 tie in the 134-member Minnesota House of Representatives is extremely rare, but I see it as a golden opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to show Minnesotans that we can govern together on a bipartisan basis.
Yesterday on the House Floor, Republicans attempted an illegitimate power grab and ignored the law, the constitution, and the will of the voters—attempting to give themselves full control of the House for the next two years.
If Republicans succeed, they will attempt to repeal much of the progress we made over the past two years, including programs that benefit working families, reproductive rights and healthcare, environmental protections, and more.
During a January 6 press conference, Republicans confirmed they plan to use their illegitimate power to unseat Rep. Brad Tabke, Shakopee’s duly elected DFL state representative, and order a special election regardless of the fact he won, in effect disenfranchising 21,980 voters who cast their ballots in the November election. That is outrageous and has never been done in Minnesota history.
My DFL colleagues and I will not legitimize this sham, and I will not allow them to silence the voices of Minnesotans in our district. Our district deserves to have our voices and values heard in this tied House.
That’s why, until Republicans abandon their efforts to expel duly elected members and seize control of the House, I will be working as your state representative right here in our district. I look forward to meeting with community and local leaders, working on legislation I plan to introduce, and fighting to bring our voices to the Capitol.
At this time, my focus is on 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. Thank you for your support.
Stay in Touch!
These newsletters will be my primary way of communicating the work we do in Saint Paul with our district. If you have questions, ideas, or feedback that you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
You can email me at rep.anquam.mahamoud@house.mn.gov or call my office 651-296-0294. For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these regular legislative updates if you haven’t already, here, and you can also “like” and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.
Sincerely,
Anquam Mahamoud
State Representative