Legislative Update
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you are having a great week and staying warm as we push through the heart of winter. As always, I appreciate hearing from so many of you—whether it’s through emails, phone calls, or conversations at the school pickup line.
Gopher’s star DB, and Minnesota native, Koi Perich, brought Paul Bunyan’s Axe for a victory lap at the Capitol this week. This season, the Gophers beat the Badgers 24-7 to bring Paul Bunyan’s Axe back home.
Lately, I’ve heard from many of you—especially parents, teachers, and young families —about the challenges facing our schools and the rising cost of housing. I want to take a moment to get some feedback on some policy options that I am working on.
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Education Funding and Empowering Local Schools
As a father of four, I know firsthand how important it is to support our educators and ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed. Unfortunately, schools across Minnesota are facing budget shortfalls, staff reductions, and larger class sizes—not because of a lack of resources, but because of misplaced priorities from legislators in St. Paul.
Last year, lawmakers loaded school districts with costly mandates, forcing administrators to stretch their budgets thinner than ever before. Now, the Governor’s 2025 budget proposal threatens to make matters worse by cutting almost $180,000,000 from education funding. His plan cuts special education aid, classroom resources, student transportation, and cuts teachers’ pay (Q-Comp). The State is also directing more resources to hire more government employees, instead of more educators in our schools. Its time legislators show a little humility and listen to educators and the community on the needs in our local schools.
That’s why the Suburban Solutions Caucus and I are proposing an alternative approach—one that prioritizes students, innovates local schools, and puts funding where it belongs: in the classroom.
- We are exploring a $150,000 income threshold for free school lunches, which would provide $170 million savings that we would invest directly into our schools to reduce class sizes, increase classroom resources and electives, and recruit and retain the most dedicated educators. Yes, I said this would save over $170 million we could invest in our local schools. This balanced solution ensures that families in need continue to receive free breakfast and lunch and our schools have the best opportunities for our kids.
- Another option we could pursue is to increase special education funding (to reduce the cross-subsidy from district general funds to cover special education costs) to address some of our most dedicated educators and support our most vulnerable learners. This plan will help alleviate gaps in funding. The bill number is HF 57.
Instead of one-size-fits-all mandates and top-down control, we should be supporting our local schools to support our students. The Suburban Solutions Caucus and I will continue fighting for solutions that put students first and give our teachers the support they need.
As we weigh options to move forward with, your input is crucial. Please feel free to share your thoughts on these options by emailing me at Rep. Andrew.Myers@house.mn.gov.
 Affordable Housing Options
The rising cost of housing is making it harder than ever for families to buy their first home, settle down, and build their future. Whether you're a young couple looking to purchase your first home or a growing family hoping to move into a space that better fits your needs, affordability has become a major barrier.
To address this, I’ve authored two common-sense bills—HF 177 and HF 178—that offer sales tax exemptions for new single-family and multi-family homes.
These proposals are part of our Suburban Solutions Caucus plan to help families keep more of their hard-earned money. With inflation driving up costs on everything from groceries to gas, we need policies that make life more affordable—not more expensive. These bills will build much needed housing inventory and help families get into homes at a more affordable price saving as much as $20,000 on a new home.
Your Voice Matters
I appreciate all of the feedback I’ve received on these and other issues. Your voice is what guides my work at the Capitol, and I encourage you to keep reaching out. Whether it’s thoughts on education, affordability, or any other concern, I want to hear from you.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. I will continue to show up, listen, and work for our community.
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