Legislative Update- February 21, 2025

Dear Neighbors,

A big thank you to the folks who turned out for the Community Conversation last Saturday. The snow and cold didn’t stop neighbors from coming out to have their voices heard. We had conversations around education funding, discussed chronic absenteeism, heard strong support for our LGBTQ+ communities, and much more. I appreciate all of the input! A special shoutout to our amazing public libraries for providing the space to gather!

We have heard a slew of bills in our committees that only have Republican authors, have strong opposition in the Senate, and will not be able to garner the 68 votes on the House. It is my hope that we start to spend more time in committees on bills that we can work on together as we await the March 6 forecast to start our work on the two year state budget.

State of the City Video Recording Now Available

Did you miss Hopkins' State of the City this year? A video recording of the event is now available. Check it out to learn about local government issues and city initiatives from the past year, and a look ahead at 2025.  

Cold Weather & Energy Assistance Resources

With the cold weather still upon us, I want to share a quick reminder that Minnesota’s “cold weather rule” is now in effect, which protects residents from having their electric or natural gas service shut off until April 30.

To ensure your service is safe from disconnection, you must make and keep a payment plan that you and your utility provider agree on. More information is available on the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s website.

Also, an initiative the state legislature strengthened in 2021 may help lower costs. While older homes have their charm, many homeowners needing basic home improvements like repairing windows, removing asbestos, repairing cracked foundations or siding often face challenges paying upfront for these pre-weatherization measures. Minnesotans using CenterPoint or Xcel Energy can schedule an appointment with the Home Energy Squad to visit their homes to identify low cost energy-saving solutions. Each visit is approximately two hours, and during that time, the Home Energy Squad will perform various energy-saving tests, inspect your insulation, heating and cooling systems, and water heater. Learn more here.

House Floor Activity

On Thursday, we discussed House File 20 on the House Floor. It is a bill that would give currently private data to powerful special interests. The bill stems from a case the fossil fuel industry and would make it nearly impossible for the Minnesota Attorney General to join other state’s AGs to join in collective actions to protect their citizens. Without 68 votes, Democrats were successful in stopping this bill from advancing. HF 20 was “tabled” which means it could be taken up again at any time. 

Committee Work

In the Ways and Means on Monday, we heard from the Legislative Budget Office on the process of putting together fiscal notes. Fiscal notes reflect the cost of implementing what a bill is proposing.

During Thursday’s Taxes hearing, we had an overview from the Minnesota Department of Revenue (DOR) and the work that they do, as well as the Governor’s tax proposal. On Thursday, we heard from the League of Minnesota Cities, Association of Minnesota Counties, and the Minnesota Inter-County Association on their legislative priorities for this session.

In the Education Finance Committee on Tuesday, we heard a large education bill proposal from the House GOP that makes changes to the Read Act including removing the requirement for the reading curriculum to be culturally responsive. It would also remove oversight from the Minnesota Department of Education on grant allocation to school districts around education innovation. The bill also allows districts to ignore any requirements we placed to secure school funding in the 2023-2024 legislative session until the 2029-2030 school year. While the bill should have made at least three more committee stops, it went directly to the House Floor with only GOP support.

On Thursday, we had a robust discussion on a bill proposed to redirect funds from the Student Support Personnel Aid (SSPA), that we funded in 2023-2024, to a School Safety Account. SSPA allowed our school districts to hire more school psychologists, nurses, social workers, and counselors in our schools, while the School Safety Account can also be used for cybersecurity and funding building safety updates. There would be no guarantee, if the SSPA funds are moved to the School Safety Account, that the funds would be used in accordance with the legislative intent to put more trained professionals in our schools to help our students. There was an incredible group of students and school staff that testified in opposition to the bill. Including, students from Edina High School that are pictured below. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in an education bill.

Kidney Disease Awareness

Kidney disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the US, but only 10% of adults with the disease know they have it. Early detection is vital for slowing or stopping further kidney damage, which is a key focus of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). The NKF is dedicated to eliminating preventable kidney disease, supporting new innovations, and dismantling structural inequities in patient care. A simple step to assess your risk for this disease is to take this 60-second quiz Kidney Health Quiz.

Constituent and Organizations Meetings 

This week was very busy with constituents and organizations that visited the Capitol this week to advocate for bills and share their thoughts. I started the week meeting with a group of teachers who are on the Education Minnesota Governing Board to talk about school funding and pensions. 

Emily Beck is a constituent who was advocating for the awareness of kidney disease and was kind enough to share the 60 second quiz to see how to keep your kidneys healthy.

I also had the chance to meet with Dawn Uribe, and her husband Gary, who runs Mis Amigos Preschool to discuss the challenges that industry is facing. 

I met with a group of constituents who were at the Capitol for a rally with Faith in Minnesota, ISAIAH, and We Make Minnesota to support Paid Family Medical Leave, maintain transit investment, support affordable housing, and more.

Dr. Deborah Thorpe was at the Capitol to advocate for increasing the reimbursement for treating Medical Assistance recipients. She is an Ob-Gyn who has spent years practicing gender care and is very concerned about the Federal government’s recent positions regarding our LBGTQ+ community.

I had an inspiring visit with the organizations that make up the Education Partnership Collaborative who focus on making sure our students and their families have the supports they need to be successful.

On Thursday, it was mental health awareness day and I met with folks from Fraser, Vail Place, and UABLE to discuss the barriers folks face to receive care and support. 

Talked with a group of amazing aspiring teachers who advocated last year for paid student teaching and other ways to make sure we support students who want to become teachers in our classrooms. 

Town Hall Reminder

I’m sharing a friendly reminder about our upcoming SD 46 Town Hall Meeting on February 27th in St. Louis Park! I hope you can attend; I’d love to hear from you. 

Community Conversations

I also have a few more community conversations I’m hosting. Check out the remaining dates below to find a date, time, and location that works best for you.

Keep in Touch

Please continue to contact me anytime at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889 with questions, ideas, or input. I appreciate hearing from you! I’m always happy to see how I can help. 

Thank you for the honor of representing our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors at the State Capitol.

Enjoy the warm up this weekend!

Cheryl Youakim
State Representative