Legislative Update from Rep. Huldah Momanyi-HiltsleyDear Neighbors, I hope this email finds you well and you’re enjoying a beautiful Minnesota summer. It’s been great seeing our neighbors out and about in community with each other, especially after a long and harsh winter. It’s been an especially tough year, but once again, Minnesota showed the country that even despite a very public federal campaign of retribution against our state, our neighbors won’t give up. 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 $1.7 million for improvements to Osseo’s public safety infrastructure and $7.5 million for Brooklyn Park’s Northwest Metro Regional Athletic Facility expansion. We also passed historic fraud prevention measures, put common-sense regulations on AI, and fought off some of the worst effects of Trump's so-called "big beautiful bill.  On July 1st, many new laws from the 2026 legislative session took effect. Some highlights include helping schools establish anonymous threat reporting systems so students and families can safely report concerning behavior, implementing a mandatory social media mental health warning, and more. You can find a list of the new laws and summaries here. If this is what we could accomplish with a tied House, imagine what we could deliver for Minnesotans with just one more vote.  The most disappointing part of this session was watching our colleagues on the other side of the aisle excuse away everything Minnesotans have lived through this past year. We could have given Minnesotans whose constitutional rights were violated by federal agents a legal remedy. We could have banned secret police by outlawing the use of masks and unmarked vehicles to terrorize our communities. We could have saved lives with an assault weapons ban and safe storage requirements. I’ll continue to fight for these shared values no matter who is in power or what we’re up against. GOOD NEWS: Minnesota’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program is WorkingSix months in, more than 75,000 Minnesotans have already been approved for Paid Leave benefits, allowing workers to take paid, job-protected time off to welcome a new child, recover from a serious health condition, or care for a loved one. More than 38,000 families have used the program for bonding leave with a new child. The program is reaching the people it was designed to help. More than half of applicants earn less than $78,000 per year, nearly half live outside the Twin Cities metro, and before Paid Leave, many of these workers had no access to paid family or medical leave through their employers. That's especially important because, nationwide, only about 27% of workers have access to paid family leave through their jobs. Strong families build strong communities, and Paid Leave is helping ensure that Minnesotans can care for themselves and their loved ones without sacrificing their financial security. I'm proud to have supported this landmark investment in working families, and I'll continue working to protect and strengthen programs that help make Minnesota one of the best places in the country to live, work, and raise a family. Learn more about the program here.  Last Update for 2026This will be my last newsletter for 2026. 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. My email address is rep.huldah.momanyi-hiltsley@house.mn.gov and my phone number is 651-296-3751. Thank you for the honor of representing our Brooklyn Park and Osse neighbors in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Stronger together, Huldah Momanyi-Hiltsley
State Representative |