Legislative Update - Back at the Capitol

Hello Friends!

We’re back in the swing of things at the State Capitol, thanks to the power-sharing agreement we were finally able to achieve earlier this month.

I’m incredibly thankful for Speaker Emeritus Hortman and my DFL colleagues that fought so hard to have the will of Shakopee’s 22,000 voters recognized. It shouldn’t have taken this long, but I’m glad an agreement was reached.

Now is the time for us to come together for the hard-working folks of Shakopee, Minnesota, and everyone who cares about democracy. We can’t accomplish anything this session without working together, and I am committed to that work.

As part of our bipartisan deal, Republicans are no longer seeking to kick me out - and due to some rule changes, they couldn’t on their own if they tried. Another main component of the agreement would be the return of power-sharing in the likely event that the Roseville special election in March returns us to a tie.

Right now, Republicans control committees, but even with their 1-member advantage, they still require DFL support to pass anything. Once we return to a tie, committees would have balanced membership and DFL and GOP co-chairs. For me this session, I’m serving on the House’s Transportation, Public Safety, and Energy Committees. Regardless of where this session goes, I know there are a lot of common-ground issues for us to work on together, and I’m approaching proposals from my Republican colleagues with an open mind.

That said, in the short time Republicans have controlled committees, they haven’t necessarily been bringing forward ideas that are good for all Minnesotans. We can work together, but I’ll never sacrifice our community’s shared values and principles.

I want to thank everyone in our community who worked with me these last few months, not only to ensure that Shakopee’s voters would be protected, but met with me to touch base on the issues they care about, and helped shape our legislative agenda so I could hit the ground running as soon as the House become constitutionally organized.

We couldn’t have gotten to this point without you!

Shakopee Office Hours

This session, I’ll be holding office hours at the Shakopee Brewhall, meeting with folks every other Friday morning from 8-9am. I held my first of the session last Friday, with our next one scheduled for February 28!

Thank you to everyone that stopped by last week! Grabbing a cup of coffee and talking about how we can make Shakopee and Minnesota better is not only one of my favorite things to do, it’s these types of conversations that best inform my work in the Minnesota House. I hope you can stop by sometime!

KiDS - Keep it Digitally Safe

My colleagues and I often talk about the impact that social media is having on children’s mental health. In the last few years, many of us have worked on bills related to this subject, and that work continues. 

I wanted to share with you the latest from KiDS - Keep It Digitally Safe, an organization focused on soliciting creative ideas from the public on what social media warning labels could look like and say. The goal is to warn youth and adults about the harms of the social media platforms they are about to use, or are currently using. The campaign actively seeks submissions, particularly from young people, inviting their best and brightest ideas for these warning labels.

I encourage you to check them out!

Stay Connected

Now that I’ll be spending more time at the State Capitol, please continue to reach out and work with me on the issues that matter most to you. I know not everyone can make our Shakopee office hours work with their schedule, but you’re always welcome to send me an email, give me a call, or even set up a visit here in St. Paul!

You can always contact me at rep.brad.tabke@house.mn.gov or 651-296-8872. You’ll either hear back from me or our Legislative Assistant, Tenzin!

Before I sign off, I wanted to give a quick shout out to Tim Zunker, and congratulate him on being the recipient of the 2024 Star of the North Award! Tim serves as the President of the Shakopee Chamber of Commerce, and this recognition from the Minnesota Chamber is well-deserved. He’s a tireless advocate for Shakopee and our business community. 

Congrats, Tim!

Brad Tabke, State Representative | Rep.Brad.Tabke@house.mn.gov

Tenzin Tsangyang, Legislative Assistant | Tenzin.Tsangyang@house.mn.gov