Legislative Update
Friends and Neighbors,
I hope everyone has dug out from the March snow and your kids got back to school. Every conversation—whether with teachers, law enforcement, housing advocates, or local leaders—reinforces why I came to St. Paul: to make thoughtful, responsible decisions that reflect the priorities of my neighbors and Minnesotans.
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Education Funding Challenges – I Need Your Help!
School districts across Minnesota are grappling with budget shortfalls, staff cuts, and increased class sizes—a direct result of our failure to listen. Instead of prioritizing classroom needs, elected leaders have imposed costly mandates that have strained school district budgets right here in your backyard and across the state.
Now, the Governor’s 2025 budget proposal threatens to make matters worse by cutting over $180 million from education funding. His plan slashes special education funding, cuts classroom resources, and reduces teacher pay by as much as $2,600 per teacher (Q-Comp). Meanwhile, rather than directing funds to classrooms, the state continues to prioritize the hiring more government employees in St. Paul.
Members of the Suburban Solutions Caucus and I are working on proposals to reduce class sizes, provide direct flexible funding to schools, and empower our schools to make local decisions instead of relying on a state-run school board approach.
One funding consideration is setting a $150,000 income threshold for free school lunches, which would free up roughly $170 million to be reinvested directly for students, teachers, and their classrooms. Yes, I said $170 million invested in our educators and student learning!
Under this plan, families earning under $150,000 would still receive free breakfast and lunch, ensuring we continue to support those in need while also directing critical resources for more teachers in classrooms, additional classroom resources, reducing class sizes, and creating more electives for our students.
As a board member of my local food shelf and a 10-year volunteer, I understand the importance of addressing food insecurity while also making sure our education dollars truly support teachers and students.
I’d love to hear your feedback, no matter where you stand. What do you think? Do you think this would be a solid adjustment to help our schools? My work is about creating pragmatic solutions to support your priorities, including education.
Committee Hearings & Legislative Updates
Here are a few key priorities I’ve been working on in committees this week:
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Public Safety – Protecting Law Enforcement (HF 135)
Ensuring the safety of our communities starts with supporting the men and women who protect us. My bill strengthens protections for law enforcement officers from assaults while on duty, reinforcing our commitment to public safety. This bill received bipartisan support.
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Housing Affordability – Building More Options (HF 177& HF 178)
High housing costs are a major concern across Minnesota. Both of my bills received hearings which provide sales tax exemptions on new single-family and multi-family housing construction for first-time homebuyers, helping to build much needed inventory and lower costs.
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Keep It Clean (HF 1120)
Our lakes and rivers are a key part of what makes Minnesota special. This bipartisan bill supports clean water and conservation efforts, helping to protect our waters, wildlife and the billions of tourism dollars Minnesota waters bring to this state.
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Local Engagement & Moving Forward
A huge thank you to our local mayors who participated in this week’s Mayors Forum. Their leadership and insight are invaluable as we work together on solutions for housing, infrastructure, and small-city funding. Partnerships between state and local government are essential to ensuring our communities thrive.
As we continue this session, I remain committed to listening, learning, and working toward solutions that reflect what I hear from you every day—responsible budgeting, strong schools, safe communities, supporting clean water, and a prosperous future for Minnesota.
Have a good weekend,
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