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Dear Neighbors,

Minnesota’s latest budget forecast shows that the policies of the Trump Administration are putting our state’s financial future in jeopardy.

It’s our duty in the Minnesota Legislature to pass a balanced budget that reflects our state’s values, and we’re not going to do that this year unless we all reach across the aisle to work together. There’s no shortage of common-ground solutions, but bad-faith policies from the Trump Administration are putting the whims of billionaires above the needs of our community’s most vulnerable.






Trump's Economic Impact





You can’t balance a budget on the backs of working Minnesotans and threaten crucial services while giving the wealthy a free pass. I’ll be fighting for a state budget that lifts up Moorhead and the entire state, not just the well-connected.

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A Tied Minnesota House

*This week, a special election in Roseville provided clarity on something most of us have known since last November: voters delivered a tied Minnesota House of Representatives.

DFL Rep-elect David Gottfried will join us in the Minnesota House next week, returning the body to an even 67-67 split. The bipartisan power-sharing agreement my DFL colleagues and I fought for ensures that the governing of the House will now reflect that tie, with committees having balanced membership and DFL and GOP co-chairs.

This means that bills don’t only need bipartisan support to pass the House - as has always been the case this session - they now need bipartisan support to even pass committees. Ideally, this would mean that we’re spending less time on hyper-partisan bills that have no chance of passing the House, which has been the case too many times these last few weeks.

That’s not to say bipartisan moments haven’t already been shining through. I’m glad one of the areas we’re already working together on is mental health services for our kids. I spoke on the importance of that work in our Human Services Committee:






Committee Remarks [ [link removed] ]





A tied House will be a unique, historic experience. Thanks to our power-sharing agreement, I can effectively advocate for our community in these uncharted waters, and I look forward to doing work that reflects the will of the voters. 

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Constituents at the Capitol

*The State Capitol is especially busy this time of year, with folks coming from all over the state to make their voices heard. Recently, several groups directly related to core areas of my legislative work had their advocacy days in St. Paul, and I wanted to highlight them.

“Homeless Day on the Hill” was this week. Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to lay their head at night, and I want to thank all the advocates who packed the Capitol to make sure that message was clear.






Homeless Day on the Hill





It was also “Hunger Day on the Hill” this week, continuing the trend of ensuring Minnesotans’ basic needs are met. When we don’t have a home or food in our bellies, it’s hard to prioritize anything else - and we need to craft our state budget with that in mind.






Hunger Day on the Hill





Far too often, those who experience hunger or homelessness don’t have a seat at the table when important policy decisions are made, that’s why I’m so thankful to all the Minnesotans that made the trip to the State Capitol to ensure these issues are top of mind for legislators. What use are the policies we pass and the investments we make unless basic needs are being met?

Last but not least, I had a robust meeting yesterday with Be@School to talk about the ways we can work together to improve attendance in Minnesota’s schools.






Be@School

Be@School




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Stay Connected*

With the Minnesota House reverting back to a tie next week, we’ll enter a new phase of legislative work at the State Capitol. Now is a great time to reach out with any questions, comments, or ideas you may have. Always feel free to reach out to me at 651-296-5515 or [email protected]. You can also follow along on my legislative Facebook page [ [link removed] ]. 

I look forward to hearing from you!

In community, 

 

Heather Keeler

Minnesota House of Representatives








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