Legislative Update – May 2, 2025
Dear Neighbors,
I was in-studio for my weekly radio interview with Rich and Ryan at KYMN this morning. We started by talking about the House’s bipartisan resolution honoring Kevin O’Connell, the Minnesota Vikings’ Head Coach, who won the 2024 NFL Coach of the Year. Then, I discussed attending the Manufactured Home Residents Day at the Capitol (more on that below), and the progress we’re making on budget bills as we work to fund our state government for the next two years. You can listen to the full interview here.
As a former employee of both city and county parks departments, I love when the Three Rivers Parks District has its Day at the Capitol, especially because they bring baby lambs! Minnesota has world-class state, and regional parks systems, and I'm proud to support efforts to improve our parks and outdoor spaces.
Manufactured Housing Reform
It was inspiring and empowering to attend the rally for manufactured home park reform at the Capitol and meet with folks from Viking Terrace in our District. Our neighbors are dealing with bad actors and out-of-state private equity landlords who don’t care about anything other than their company's bottom line, and often, residents have nowhere to turn for legal recourse.
My colleague Rep. Matt Norris and I are working on legislation that improves resident protections, limits unreasonable lot rent increases, and grants an opportunity to purchase that will benefit all parties. You can read more about the rally and our legislation in this WCCO story.
Budget Bill Update
We have reached a busy time of the Legislative Session, spending our days passing budget bills on the House Floor. After these bills pass the House, we enter negotiations with the Senate and the Governor on a final version that we must pass before our May 19 adjournment date.
Here’s a quick recap of what we have passed so far:
- An Agriculture Budget that invests in Farm to School (and Early Care!) Programs, worker protections for bird flu, and supports new farmers with down payment assistance.
- A Higher Education Budget that makes it easier for Minnesotans to pursue higher education and protects the North Star Promise program.
- A Housing Budget that invests in building new affordable housing, provides rental assistance to those who need it most, and continues to take on our housing shortage.
- A Transportation Budget that builds reliable roads and sturdy bridges, invests in aviation infrastructure, and more.
- A Commerce Budget that provides stronger consumer oversight, tackles rising homeowners' insurance, and improves experiences for those living in HOAs.
- A Veterans Budget that invests in those who served our country, especially focusing on addressing veterans' depression and suicides.
- A State Government and Elections Budget that preserves key services, supports healthy aging, and enhances fraud prevention.
- A Public Safety & Judiciary Budget that improves and supports victim services, police training, and privacy protections for judges.
- A Legacy Bill that uses our lottery proceeds wisely to enhance our environment, protect our clean water, expand parks and trails, and celebrate arts, culture, and history.
These bills are the result of compromise between DFLers and Republicans due to the 67-67 tie. Many of these bills include provisions that I disagree with, and we’re fighting to make these bills better in future negotiations.
DFLers in the House and Senate are continuing to fight for a budget that protects Minnesota workers and families from the worst impacts of the Trump Administration, preserves the progress we made last term, and strengthens our state.
Stay Connected!
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