 Legislative Update from Rep. Cheryl YouakimDear Neighbors, It’s hard to believe July is already upon us. I hope you all had a fun and safe July 4th as we celebrated our nation’s 250th birthday. While there is time for celebration, it has also been an especially tough year. December through mid February, we had 3,000+ federal forces bringing uncertainty to our communities and public safety concerns to our state. But once again, despite those challenging times, Minnesota showed the country that we will always stand up for another. And our state government can still get the job done. I was cautiously optimistic about our work with an evenly split House. The Minnesota Legislature worked together to save HCMC and pass $1.2 billion in local infrastructure funding, including funds to help update our local infrastructure in the district, namely, Louisiana Boulevard and Oxford Road in St. Louis Park. Another local bill I passed extends a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in Hopkins to continue down the path of redeveloping the old Atlas Cold Storage site on Blake Road in Hopkins. We also passed historic fraud prevention measures, put common-sense regulations on AI, and fought off some of the worst effects of President Trump's so-called "big beautiful bill. With the new month of July also came many new laws that took effect from the 2026 legislative session. Some highlights include helping schools establish anonymous threat reporting systems so students and families can safely report concerning behavior (within an education bill that I carried), implementing a mandatory social media mental health warning, and more. You can find a list of the new laws and summaries here. I hope you can take a moment to fill out my short survey to share your priorities and how I can best advocate for them in St. Paul.  Keep in TouchOpportunities for Connecting over the Interim This summer and fall, I’ll be connecting with our neighbors in the community. If you belong to an organization or group, or own a local business, and would like to meet, I’m happy to get together. I appreciated connecting with the staff at my recent tour of Stonecrest, the senior living home in Minnetonka! It is a wonderful facility that gives people a sense of home.  Mark Your Calendars Please mark your calendars for a back-to-school supply drive that Rep. Larry Kraft and I will be hosting for STEP Food Shelf. It will be on Saturday, August 15 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm in from of STEP (6812 W Lake St, St Lousi Park, MN 55426). STEP provides over 700 students with school supplies and drives like this one helps them reach their goal.  I recently had the opportunity to attend a ribbon cutting for STEP's expansion so they're able to provide more support for our communities.  Last Update During an election period, legislators cannot use state resources for unsolicited communications because it might create an unfair advantage. Therefore, this will be my last e-update until after the election. I am still available to help with any state-level problems and discuss issues important to our community, so please reach out if I can assist in any way. I can be reached at rep.cheryl.youakim@house.mn.gov or 651-296-9889. 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 rest of the summer!  Rep. Cheryl Youakim
46B – Hopkins, Edina, & St. Louis Park |