Know Key Legislators

You can influence education finance and policy. Start with understanding which legislators have the most power to impact our schools.

The most influential decision-makers include:

The Governor, Senate Majority Leader, and the Speaker of the House make the final decisions, relying on input from their committee chairs.
Committee chairs in the majority party determine what bills are heard and what provisions appear in the bills leaving their committee.
Committee members work closely with the committee chairs.

The education committees in the House and Senate set education finance and policy. The tax committee is involved when making school levies more affordable through equalization. Equalization is property tax relief for local taxpayers and is not funding that goes to schools. Funding for equalization should come from the tax committees.

Education and Tax Committees

Senate Education Finance and Policy Committees
Education Finance Chair: Sen Mary Kunesh (DFL-New Brighton)

Education Policy Chair: Sen Steve Cwodzinski (DFL-Eden Prairie)
Download the contact information for committee members (PDF)

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Email the Senate Education Policy Committee >

Senate Taxes Committee
Chair: Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope)
Download the contact information for committee members (PDF)

Email the Senate Taxes Committee >

Senate Committee Schedule
Shows location, days of the week, and time reserved for each committee meeting. The committee chair determines when to hold committee meetings within this time frame.

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House Education Finance Committee
Chair: Rep Ron Kresha (R-Little Falls)
Download the contact information for committee members (PDF)

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House Education Policy Committee
Chair: Rep Peggy Bennett (R-Albert Lea)
Download the contact information for committee members (PDF)

Email the House Education Policy Committee >

House Property Taxes Committee
Chair: Rep Greg Davids (R-Preston)
Download the contact information for committee members (PDF)

Email the House Taxes Committee >

House Committee Schedule
Shows location, days of the week, and time reserved for each committee meeting. The committee chair determines when to hold committee meetings within this time frame.

Download the PDF >