Dear Neighbors,
I watched the news coming out of Burnsville on Sunday with a heavy heart. Our Police, Fire, and EMS departments in our communities are families who care for each other as they care for us. That sense of community is being shown by an outpouring of grief and support from across Minnesota. My deepest condolences go out to the family, loved ones, and colleagues of the heroic first responders who protected the young children and mother by responding to the call. I am especially grateful for our public safety teams in our communities of Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina as well as the team that protects us at the Capitol.
On Monday, legislators representing the Burnsville area delivered remarks and asked for a moment of silence, which you can watch here.
A big thank you to everyone who turned out for our Community Conversations! Hearing from you and being able to connect in the community is the best part of this work. My next Community Conversations in March will be held on March 6th and March 9th. Here are the details below:
Town Hall Meeting
Mark your calendars! Senator Latz, Rep. Kraft, and I are hosting a District 46 Town Hall Meeting on March 12 at the St. Louis Park City Hall Chambers (5005 Minnetonka Blvd.) from 6:00-7:30 p.m. I hope you can make it and please share the information with neighbors who may be interested in attending. Everybody is welcome!
Floor and Committee Work
The legislature continues its work. We had floor sessions on Monday and Thursday this week and committees met to hear various bills. On the House floor on Monday, we passed a tax fix bill to make sure that working and middle class Minnesotans receive the full benefit of the 2023 Tax Act. The Senate passed the bill as well and it is headed ot the Governor’s desk for his signature. In the House Education Finance Committee, I held a hearing to highlight the investments for our schools that we prioritized in our two-year state budget. This included several presentations from urban, suburban, and rural school districts. All expressed gratitude for being able to hire more teachers with the increase on the formula, provide more mental health support to students, and the overwhelming support and demand for universal school meals. You can watch a recap of our committee hearing here.
Connected to Community
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet with several constituents advocating with various organizations on issues important to them. These included Minnesota Care Expansion Lobby day, Occupational Therapy Day, and meeting with a group of Rotarians from across the state. Hearing from Minnesotans advocating for what they care about is one of the best parts of this job. I also had the opportunity to talk with a group of students from our Alternative Learning Centers who not only did a good job advocating for their schools, but had some great questions.
I finished the week meeting with a group of Chiropractors to discuss barriers to care, heard from an amazing group of aspiring teachers on how we can help them make it into the classroom, and celebrated U of M Alumni Day with Goldie.
I was sad to learn of news that our neighbor, Nikki Storebo, a long time Mount Olivet Adult Day Center employee and advocate for our disability community, passed away this week. Nikki started her journey with MORA over 11 years ago, first as a Program Coordinator, then worked her way up to her role as Senior Quality Enhancement and Program Director. Nikki supported MORA in so many ways, but I knew her as a tireless advocate for those she worked to support. When I toured MORA, I had the chance to see Nikki in action and was so inspired by her advocacy of and leadership in advancing disability rights and funding for services. May her memory forever be a blessing.
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. Email is the quickest way to get in touch.
Thank you for the honor of representing our Hopkins, St. Louis Park, and Edina neighbors at the State Capitol.
Have a great weekend,
Cheryl Youakim
State Representative
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