Week of May 13th – 17th
Working together and compromising
We have made a lot of progress in the past few weeks in conference committees. As our deadline approaches, I am still a firm believer that we can compromise and do right by the people of Minnesota this year. When we work together we have the capacity to become better than the sum of our parts. Meetings have continued taking place throughout the day, and I remain optimistic.
An insightful discussion with two young constituents
A little while ago, two students from Central Middle School in Eden Prairie wrote me an insightful letter on gun violence. I asked the dean of students if I could meet with them, and during our recent meeting they said two things that really stuck with me. The first was a point of frustration: “What is the point of getting involved if we aren’t being listened to?” they asked me. The second was one of hope: “A lot of of kids don’t think we cant make a difference because we can’t vote, but we can still make changes.” These two young women, Munira Abduikadir and Taslim Olad, I know are going places.
Reuniting with a former student
Former student of mine, Andrew Donahue, stopped by this week to check out what happens at the state legislature. He is currently home for the summer after finishing his semester at Duke University, and wanted to learn more about careers in government.
Another former student, Lila Sahar, also swung by the capitol this week. It was an awesome surprise and we had a great time catching up.
Meeting this session’s last group of high school pages
Once again, I got to meet this week’s House high school pages. With this being our last week of session, they were the last group I will be meeting this year. I loved hearing their insightful opinions and answering their thought-provoking questions.
A special thanks goes out to Tom Holien and everyone else at the House of Representatives who makes this program possible.
Valuing our state’s young people
One of the big sticking points this year is the education funding formula. After far too many years of budget cuts, the time is now to start making up for the losses our schools faced during the 2000s. We need to let our students and our educators know that they are valued. Let’s get this House formula increase passed and do right by our kids. You can check out more of my thoughts in this week’s video by clicking HERE.
Crossing paths with a longtime friend and educator
Leigh Heuer, stopped by this week with some of her students here for Project Citizen, where middle school students present projects they’ve done on government and citizenship. Leigh teaches 6th grade at Woodbury Middle School and is one of my longtime friends
EPHS students getting their education at the state capitol
Two current Eden Prairie High School students, Mario Aguilar and Axel Garcia, came to the capitol this week. They are working on a project for their civics class, and I was happy to help them learn about state government.
A great session with great interns
Today was the last day for my two interns, Alex Fox and Kendall Johnson. Both are former students of mine and are hoping to continue working in public services after they finish school at the University of Minnesota. I could not be more appreciative of the work they have done this session for residents of District 48 and all of Minnesota.
Forest Hills Elementary visits The Capitol
3rd grade students from Forest Hills Elementary went on a capitol tour this week. I got with them afterward, and was delighted by their enthusiasm and exuberance.