Legislative Update 02.14.25

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week

CHD Awareness Week wraps up this week, and I am grateful for the increased conversation that comes with this highlight. I want to draw special attention to the Schneider family from Taopi, MN. Katie and Tom's daughter Claire was born with a congenital heart defect, and is now on the heart transplant list at just 8 years old. Stories like these are important to highlight, as they show the struggles of living with CHD and the necessary steps to manage it. Thank you to the Schneider family for sharing your story for others to hear. 

Updates from the Capitol

One of our biggest priorities this session is to address the rampant fraud that is ravaging our state. With recent headlines about Feeding our Future, daycare centers, and NUWAY, we have seen just a fraction of what we have yet to uncover. Our newly organized Fraud and Oversight Committee exists to establish more clear and stringent rules so that fraud cannot go unchecked in our state any longer. House Republicans introduced several bills this week, including HFs 1, 2, and 3, which specifically establish the foundation for addressing and preventing fraud. 

Since we are back in the swing of things, I have been dropping bills in the hopper! This week, I dropped HF629 and HF630, one for bonding in Blooming Prairie and the other to extend the short-call substitute teacher pilot program. Click on the bills to read more.

Mueller Minute

In this weeks Mueller Minute, I talk about committee work in education and jobs. Click the link to see the full video. 

Meetings

I had many great meetings this week, and I am thankful for everyone who took the time to chat with me at the Capitol. 

Austin Sheriff, Steve Sandvik, visited earlier in the week with other law enforcement officers from across the state. Thank you, Sheriff Sandvik, for your continued service and dedication to our community. 

I met with a group from Work Well MN, an organization that aims to tackle issues in/with Minnesota's workforce and labor market. It was great to meet you all!

And as always, it's great to see Austin Mayor Steve King and City Administrator Craig Clark. Thank you both for taking the time to come to the Capitol, talk to me, and represent the people and city of Austin well. Nice to see you both!

Events

Last weekend, I was able to attend several great events in our district, including:

A business roundtable event in Austin. Workforce and Labor Committee Chair, Rep. Dave Baker, joined me to speak to local business owners and government groups to discuss their greatest concerns and issues. 

Bingo night with the Brownsdale Volunteer Fire Department. Although I didn't win, it was fun to play bingo and eat popcorn, yum!

Business Roundtable Event last Friday

Bingo on Saturday

Looking ahead, we have a few events coming up that I want to highlight:

Fishing for a Cure: Saturday, February 15th, noon - 2pm

Honor Flight Fundraising Dinner: Saturday, February 15th, 4 - 9pm

Benefit for Ehmke House Fire: Saturday, March 2nd, 2pm

Shoutouts

Congratulations to Ellis Middle School's Mark Poppe for his recognition as a 2024-2025 Outstanding Educator Nominee. This award honors K-12 teachers who excel in STEM education and innovation.

Congratulations to Cheryl Berglund for receiving the MMEA Community Educator of the Year award! Job well done. 

Shoutout to Kayla Sellers, who is the 2025 Section 1AA High Kick Coach of the Year! Also, congratulations to her team, the Austin Dance Team, as they advance to the state competition this weekend for the 23rd consecutive time!

Shoutout to the dominating Grand Meadow Girls Basketball Team! They are approaching the end of regular season play and are on a 12 game win streak. Finish strong!

Congratulations to all Southland Schools students that were recognized on the second quarter honor roll! And also from Southland Schools, shoutout to Cael Smith on his 100th win in wrestling, along with many other student athlete accomplishments.

Please Contact Me

Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-4193 or by email at rep.patricia.mueller@house.mn.gov 

Have a great weekend! 

/RepPatriciaMueller

2824 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar St.
Saint Paul, MN 55155 rep.patricia.mueller@house.mn.gov
651.296.4193