Legislative Update - Our April Town Hall

Dear Neighbors, 

This week, the Minnesota Legislature returned from our Easter and Passover break, with legislators ready for the second half of session. 

Our May 18 adjournment date will be here before you know it, and as we focus our work on the legislative solutions that have a chance of passing by then, I want to hear from you!

A March blizzard canceled our previous Town Hall, and while I can’t promise clear skies, our rescheduled date of Sunday, April 19, should hopefully be blizzard-free!

We’re back at Mankato East High School. Doors will open at 12:45pm, we'll get started at 1pm, and we'll wrap up at 3pm.

We're excited to provide an update on our work in the Minnesota Legislature, and to hear directly from you.

You can also submit questions ahead of time here. We look forward to seeing you there!

Building a Safer Minnesota

Minnesotans deserve to know where their representatives stand on important issues, especially when it comes to broadly popular solutions that build a safer state.

Before we left for the legislative break last month, my colleagues and I in the House DFL were able to force a vote of the entire House on several crucial pieces of legislation.

One pertained to keeping ICE out of our schools, or at the very least, requiring federal agents to produce a judicial warrant to enter. You might read that and think that’s a pretty low bar, and it is. It was also the norm for years until the second Trump administration changed that rule. 

This bill was first heard in the Education Policy Committee, where the House Republican members blocked the bill - some of the same Republicans that sent a letter to then-Secretary Noem asking her to limit ICE’s activity around Minnesota’s schools. Because they would rather send letters instead of doing their job and pass laws to protect students.

I was proud to vote green on this bill. We can and must do better for our kids.

Child Tax Credit Reminder 

A reminder that Tax Day is April 15. If you’re still working on your 2025 taxes and have children, please don’t forget about the Child Tax Credit! It is NOT automatic. So far this year, more than 154,000 tax returns have claimed the Child Tax Credit, benefiting over 318,000 children across Minnesota. Families are receiving an average credit of $2,669. 

You can learn more about eligibility here. The credit is estimated to reduce child poverty by up to a third in Minnesota, making it one of the most impactful investments DFLers protected amid federal cuts. 

This was just one of many solutions delivered by the DFL trifecta during the 2023-2024 session, but it’s the type of economic support we need even more of now. Having a family has only gotten more expensive in Minnesota, and building on solutions like the Child Tax Credit, like our DFL proposals for low- or no-cost universal childcare for Minnesota families, should be an easy vote for anyone who wants to take on one of the highest costs faced by Minnesota families. 

We can’t let progress be a thing of the past. Minnesotans expect us to pass solutions to help with skyrocketing costs and the ability to afford their lives

Constituent Corner

I was welcomed back to the State Capitol from the legislative break by what might have been my favorite constituent visit of the year so far! No shade to the dozens of our neighbors that have made the trip this session, but being greeted by the bright and smiling faces of Immanuel Lutheran’s 5th-through-8th graders is hard to beat!

Throughout the legislative session, it’s typical to run into school groups, and their presence always serves as a nice reminder for why we do this work. 

Stay Connected

With session underway, the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services will once again be offering nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website. You can also visit my House of Representatives website.

Regardless of whether you can join us for our Town Hall, I always welcome your questions and comments. You can send an email to rep.luke.frederick@house.mn.gov or call me at (651) 296-3248. Also, please visit and “like” my Facebook page for more Capitol and community updates.

Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the legislature.

Sincerely, 

Luke Frederick

State Representative