Child Protection 🧵
I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to legislators and stakeholders who joined us today, and in our previous hearings this interim, to give voice to the policy measures that will address systemic child protection issues in Minnesota
It was a big day for our family. I adopted my foster son of 2 years, Liam.
Then he picked tacos & a Kraken cake for the after celebration, & then to a water park!
Everyone's exhausted and happy!
#fostercare
#adoption
#boymom
Senate Republicans are openly joking they're going to break the filibuster record in the MN Senate tonight as they continue to try and slow our work.
Well, I'm rested up & brought my toothbrush. 💪🪥🌛
#mnleg
Completely on-brand for MN GOP.
They try to represent the suburbs with a press conference consisting entirely of white, conservative men.
Let me guess: Among other things, they all think they're better suited than actual women to make reproductive decisions about our bodies. 🙄
How do you organize and announce the formation of a "Suburban Solutions Caucus" and not include any female suburban members of your caucus? Is this an
#SNL
skit?
#mnleg
I was proud to partner with
@ProtectMNAdvo
and
@MomsDemand
during my campaign and to support sensible gun legislation during its path through the MN Senate.
Today was a good day in making our state a little safer!
Today, Minnesota Republicans wasted everyone's time with an amendment banning public funding of... necromancy and the occult.
Minnesota Republicans aren't even trying anymore.
#mnleg
For those saying "he needs to get out of his bubble" the reality is he just doesn't care.
I've never seen him show any form of compassion in any situation.
Minnesota Republican state Sen. Steve Drazkowski on bill providing free school breakfast and lunch: "I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that is hungry. Yet today. I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that says they don't have access to enough food to eat."
#mnleg
The desire for basic gun legislation is something I heard as a non-partisan issue at the doors in my district & something I believe in strongly as a mother.
I'm glad MN is taking guns sense steps by enacting universal background checks & extreme risk protection orders.
#gunsense
TheTax bill just passed the MN Senate!
Includes:
✔️Rebates: $260person up to $1300 household
✔️Major Social Security tax cuts
✔️Major Child tax credits, estimated to reduce child poverty by 1/3💕
✔️Almost $300mil in property tax relief.
This is HUGE for Sr.s & working families!!
For those who asked, here is my floor speech from Friday night about my own pregnancy loss, explaining why these complicated and heartbreaking decisions need to be left to the person who is pregnant.
#proact
#ReproductiveFreedom
Unless something's really egregious, I don't media slam my colleagues.
It's tacky.
Sen. Lucero has no such class
1. he tried to push climate denial
2. I brought facts
So, he dishonestly edited this for his ego. (spoiler...I answered the Q)
Actual exchange:
Democrats are the source of MANY bad ideas. For some reason, they can't seem to explain the warming period after the Ice Age... because Minnesota wasn't a state. You really can't make this up.
Happy Veterans Day to all who have served!
I'm so honored I'll be representing us in the MN Senate as:
☑️One of the only legislators still serving (National Guard)
☑️One of the longest serving (30+yrs so far)
☑️The first female Vet in 10+yrs
Thank you for the support!
@votevets
In MN, we can't take a gift from a lobbyist w/a value over $5.
Literally, even if it's a friend from before I was elected (eg: a friend in my district was working on election reform this past session), I don't even let them buy me a coffee. ☕️
But yeah, nothing to see here. 🙄
So, on top of everything else we now learn that Justice Thomas got a free $267,000 RV from a health care tycoon who loaned him the purchase money and then forgave the loan.
As I asked here, how many health care cases did the Court decide?
I was concerned to hear about a racist incident yesterday with a substitute at Woodbury H.S. (my alma mater).
The update today is so much worse than I could've imagined.
Thank you to the students who spoke up. Our schools must be a safe for all children.
I am SO proud Minnesota is on this list.
Not just child tax credits, but we invested in
🍎free school lunches
🍼ways to make daycare more affordable
🚸more early childhood investments, etc.
Focused work, estimated to reduce child poverty by 1/3 in MN! 💕
Typical Republican "alternative facts."
I'm the sole Senator to represent all of Woodbury (+3 wonderful Maplewood precincts), winning by way more than 150.
I was the first Senator to win EVERY Woodbury precinct, w/ 5,710 more votes in Woodbury alone & 6,825 more district-wide.
Well, my day is complete!
It's such an honor to have our work in MN be a shining light, especially in the wake of other states doing things like banning books and stripping bodily rights away.
Today MN GOP decided to play partisan games instead of approving a bonding bill for projects desperately needed across the state, INCLUDING help for veterans.
My pleas for
#veterans
fell on deaf ears across the isle, but
@SenateDFL
will continue our work for the people of MN.
The MN Senate has passed the 100% Clean Energy Bill!
Proud to be a coauthor on this important step in mitigating climate change and protecting our environment. 🌎
I wore my
#climatestripes
(along with
#GoRedForWomen
) in honor of the occasion.
#ClimateAction
As a 3rd generation military member, I'm so honored to be carrying the Veteran's Omnibus in the MN Senate.
$128m of new funding to help with homelessness, mental health, retention & more!
Thank you for everyone who supported my work on this. 💕The near-unanimous vote!
#mnleg
I'm very honored to have just made the motion in committee, which passed!!, to vote on & move SF-4 (100% carbon- free energy by 2040) to the floor of the MN Senate.
🌎
#climate
#ClimateActionNow
#mnleg
Today is National Adoption Day.
Families come in so many wonderful forms...as long as love is the main ingredient! 💕
I'm so honored that after 2 years with us, Liam joined our family permanently through adoption this past spring!
#adoptionday
➕
@SenateDFL
just passed Sick & Safe time too, so if you're sick, a child is sick, etc., MN workers will be able to take a day off w/out the risk of losing pay or even losing their job.
A win for ALL workers, but esp. mothers who are often the ones home with sick children.👶🤱
Median Woodbury income: $114K, so you'd be dead wrong.
+My district includes part of Maplewood.
Many people in my district clearly told me the child tax credit, more affordable daycare, etc. will help their families.
It's sad you have so little compassion for those families.🤷♀️
@NicoleM_4Senate
And enough of the stupid women emoji with the raised hands like, huh??? Why wouldn’t you. You know you liberal hacks put limits in place.
You live in Woodbury. I would bet 80% of the city won’t get anything back.
Among other things,
@SenateDFL
is working to keep MN elections free, fair, and accessible today.
Hard but important work!
But look at how I got to start my day... these sweet lambs were at the Capitol this morning! 💕🐑
@BetsyCoffia
We passed this in MN this past session, and it began this school year.
It is SO popular, and the teachers I know really appreciate knowing the children they teach aren't struggling with hunger during the day (which makes them better able to learn!).
A hot, but beautiful day for the dedication ceremony of the MN State Veterans Cemetery in Redwood Falls.
It's wonderful to see local, state, and federal teams all work together to honor our veterans. 🇺🇲
Meaningful conversation today with
@MomsDemand
community members advocating for common sense gun reform & safer communities at
#mnleg
--as well as providing Minnesotans the mental health services they need to
#EndGunViolence
in our neighborhoods
The MN Senate committees are out. I'm thrilled--each committee I'm sitting on has personal meaning:
Elections: I’ve been an election judge since 2018, including help w/early voting, often being a head judge, etc. Excited to help maintain MN's tradition of free/fair elections!
When you dress with a nod to Mardi Gras 💜💛💚 🎭 and happen to wear the same colors as
#RestoreTheVoteMN
... which you're about to vote for!
Kismet!!
#mnleg
As of January 1, Minnesota has a red flag law to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a known, serious risk to themselves or others.
That’s on top of strengthened background checks that took effect in August.
We’re not hiding behind thoughts and prayers in Minnesota.
100% carbon-free by 2040 is signed into law!
Proud to be even a small part of this big step to mitigate
#climate
change and help keep our air & water clean for our children and future generations!🌎
@SenateDFL
Well, I actually get some sleep tonight because we ended "early".
There are some technical reasons, but I think at least a little of it had to do w/most of
@SenateDFL
showing up with overnight bags & calling the bluff that we aren't scared off with threats of all-night work.😉
Senate Republicans are openly joking they're going to break the filibuster record in the MN Senate tonight as they continue to try and slow our work.
Well, I'm rested up & brought my toothbrush. 💪🪥🌛
#mnleg
As a long time advocate for abused and neglected children, including previous work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) & serving as a
#Foster
parent, I was honored today to be named the Senate Chair for the MN Legislative Task Force on Child Protection.
#mnleg
BTW, there are 400,000+ children in foster care, w/110,000+ adoptable at any given time.
It drives me nuts when people try to argue "so many families are waiting to adopt" as an excuse to take away
#reproductiverights
.
The reality is too many children are already being failed.
I'm so honored (esp. as a freshman legislator) to carry the
#Veterans
Omnibus bill in the MN Senate!
It IS moving as a stand alone bill, something several of us have been working on for weeks, including
@KariDziedzic
&
@epmurphymn
.
It will hit the Senate floor Thursday!!
#mnleg
I consider myself a "Mama Bear," because all kids deserve love + protection, especially the abused/neglected/developmentally disabled children...I've long volunteered with.
To me this includes support & space to be their authentic selves AND protecting them from hate & bigotry.
"Mama Bears" are conservative mothers and grandmothers who’ve organized for “parental rights,” including banning discussion of gender identity in schools.
So, not only did my community elect me by a 17pt margin, but they continue to support me with thanks for protecting reproductive freedoms, funding public education, supporting free & fair elections, etc.
They're happy
@SenateDFL
is working so hard for their rights and families!
Proud to work with Rep. Larry Kraft and coalition of partners to introduce SF 3964 at the
#mnleg
which will allow multi-family housing zoning statewide
Parents at my kids school were just notified that due to yet ANOTHER Elem. school shooting (Nashville last wk), they'll practice a lock-down drill tomorrow.
My kindergarteners.
Because so many small children have been slaughtered.
We do not have to live like this.
#GunSenseNow
Huge congrats to our Women's Gymnastics team for taking gold in Paris--especially our local hero Suni Lee!
Suni has been an amazing advocate for Minnesota and stopped by the Capitol last year to help bring the U.S. Gymnastic Trials to Minneapolis this June.
Drought conditions continue to deepen across Minnesota, now with some areas in the "extreme" category.
Hot weather (fueled by climate change) accelerates drought by drying out soil and vegetation faster.
One of many reasons to act now.
#ClimateCrisis
#mnleg
#mnwx
I had some baby items to donate and a friend recommended Face to Face in St. Paul, for their work w/ homeless youth, some of whom have babies.
Their wonderful team gave me a tour of their medical clinic which, along with their drop-in center, serves 3,000 young people a year.
Supporting paid family & medical leave today!
This is so important for working families. This especially allows women, for issues related to pregnancy & who are often still the primary caregivers of both young and aging family members, to better participate in the workforce.💕
"As a single mother and foster parent, I appreciate the inclusiveness of the definition of family. If you say you want to help mothers and families, that's exactly what this bill will do! I'm proud to vote green on
#PaidLeaveMN
."
@NicoleM_4Senate
#MNLeg
Happy Women Veterans Day to all the women who've honorably served our country (often in the face of unequal treatment)!
Special shout-out to my mother, who among other things in her 20yrs, did aircraft maintenance back when that was almost unheard of for women.
#WomenVeteransDay
This is absolutely what's happening.
Convened 10am Tue & adjourned almost 6am Wed.
20hrs, for only 4 bills. None 100% party lines, so not "partisan."
Yet, Repubs talked hours upon hours to slow progress.
@SenateDFL
, by contrast, are here to work...even if it takes all night.🌙
So proud to be a
@SenateDFL
Co- author on the
#democracyforthepeople
act!
Ensuring all eligible voters feel part of the process and have easy access to vote is something I'm so proud MN is taking the lead on!
I didn't even have to ask...I just mentioned to
@DrAliceMann
I was having a forum on paid family medical leave, and she said "I'll come to it!"
Our
@SenateDFL
freshman class is so amazing and supportive!
Get you a friend like
@DrAliceMann
(who is such a force) who supports her teammates (
@NicoleM_4Senate
) to get accurate information out about very significant legislation. This is how it’s done! Show up for each other and support each other. Get at it! 💪🏻👏🏻❤️
Remember this...
I've heard variations of that callous speech a few times in committee/Senate floor w/different proposals to feed those in need.
Then, when his comments went viral his OWN community begged him to go see the Food Shelf in Red Wing.
He wouldn't, so I stepped up.
For those saying "he needs to get out of his bubble" the reality is he just doesn't care.
I've never seen him show any form of compassion in any situation.
If you notice me at
#mnleg
today wearing mismatched socks, it's intentional. My sons' school was doing it as part of their support for World
#DownSyndrome
day, and I decided to join in.
@SenateDFL
LOVE seeing quality local journalism...even made a donation.
Great fact checking on some of the lies being spread surrounding the bill language/timeline regarding SRO use of force on students....
UPDATE: On a party-line 34-33 vote, the Minnesota Senate passed an adult-use recreational marijuana bill.
It sets up negotiations with the House over a different version of a cannabis legalization and regulatory structure.
#mnleg
(photos
@benjovland
)
Today was a good day...
We put an unprecedented $128m of new money into retaining + mental health for current MN military & feeding, housing & other veteran services. 🇺🇸🪖
Plus, I made MN legislative history...all in on fell swoop!
@votevets
@MNVeteran
@MACVorg
@MNNationalGuard
With the passage of the Veterans & Military Affairs Budget today, Senator Nicole Mitchell becomes the first legislator in Minnesota history to author and pass a major budget bill in their first year of service.
I feel like everyone I know is at
@mnstatefair
this weekend, but we're talking advantage of the gorgeous weather to check out the
@MNRenaissance
Fair!
I'll be at the State Fair Tuesday!
My first bill went before
#mnleg
senate floor this morning!
It was to improve the restorative justice process for
#veterans
, when there's a nexus between a service related injury and what caused the court interaction.
Pass unanimously! 💯
Happy to support our vets!🇺🇲
@SenateDFL
Today during a committee hearing on the Boundary Waters, we discovered that one of the witnesses testifying was actually a lobbyist for a mining company.
This company would profit off of mining in the Boundary Waters, all while polluting and causing irreparable harm to the land.
Enjoying Greater MN, on a mining tour put on by
@mndnr
.
Learning so much about the history, operations, &
#environmental
considerations.
Plus, great people from DNR,
@MnPCA
&
#mnleg
.
Also, learned
@LarryKraftSLP
likes to photobomb.😄
Well, he got the part at the end about getting a trifecta having "significant implications" correct! 😆
Fortunately it was
@MinnesotaDFL
who got the trifecta & used the moment to invest in education, protect the environment, take care of seniors & working families, etc.!
"I see no chance that the Democrats will flip the Senate... it's not even competitive."
I just found the wrongest 2022 election prediction in MN, courtesy of Liz Collin & Hamline poli sci professor David Schultz.
This came out right before the midterms and it's amazing. Enjoy!
Children in Woodbury are feeling the love! Huge shoutout to
@Sen_NMitchell
for her efforts in making childcare more affordable. Check out this video from Sen. Mitchell thanking the kids at
@nhacademymn
for the heart art! 💕
#AffordableChildcare
#ThankYou
The MN Senate has just passed the Commerce & Consumer protections omnibus!
Includes: Prescription Drug Affordability Board 💊, student debt advocacy💰, protecting seniors from fraud, and much more!
Judiciary and Public Safety omnibus is now up.
#mnleg
@SenateDFL
I've always felt that no matter how old you are, you should be able to get involved in our political process!
From working on bills with students this session to today's Youth Day at the Capitol, these are great reminders of the exciting ideas and energy of MN's next generation
@barbyarusso
@zdsellie
I mentioned ectopic pregnancies at another point in the evening.
A male senator who couldn't even pronounce the word said the treatment for that "isn't abortion".
Literally proving the point why men should not be legislating this. 🙄
Very excited that
@GovTimWalz
signed into law this update to the Veterans Restorative Justice Act! Honored to have worked with
@NicoleM_4Senate
& the advocates for Veterans on this bill.
#mnleg
The 2024
#mnleg
session is already halfway over--here's a quick recap on the work I've been carrying out for our community in SD47!
For a more in-depth look, sign up for my newsletter here:
There were puppies at the Capitol on Tuesday, thanks to the animal humane society.
Easily the best part of my day!
(Don't tell the boys... they're trying to get me to get us a dog 🐕).
I was told not to tweet this until the houses adjourned for fear of jinxing it, but the Minnesota legislature just completed what is probably the most productive session anywhere in the country since probably the New Deal. Sweeping bills and reforms across every area of life.
Fun fact, my
#StPatricksDay2023
earrings were given to me by the son of Joanne Showalter.
Joanne passed away recently, following an amazing life, including the 4th woman ever elected to the St. Paul City Council. ( in the 1970s)
Proud to carry some of that history! ☘️
Spoke yesterday at
#BuildingTheFutureMN
on 2 of my environmentally-focused bills:
🏘️ Missing Middle creates transit accessible & more energy efficient neighborhoods through multifamily zoning
♨️ Network Geothermal supports developing geothermal systems & equitable pilot projects
25% of students say polling place accessibility is a voting barrier, but this year we passed my bill ensuring access to on-campus voting locations.
Thank you to
@wechooseusmn
@Students7United
@commoncausemn
@InterFacultyOrg
& more for your advocacy to strengthen MN's democracy!
Students need only their ID and proof of residence, which can be done using student housing lists. This ensures that even students without traditional utility bills or other common proofs of residence can register and vote using their campus address.
On this 80th anniversary of D-Day, we honor the brave souls who stormed the beaches, the Pilots who soared through enemy skies, and the Paratroopers who leapt into the unknown.
Their courage and sacrifice saved the world from tyranny.
Let's live up to their legacy.
#DDay
I'm watching all the veterans walk up to the Capitol as part of
#Veterans
day in the hill.
I'll be speaking shortly, then I'm proud to present the senate veterans omnibus bill before committee! 🇺🇲
As a 30+ year servicemember, I'm once again honored to be carrying the Veterans Policy Omnibus bill. This bipartisan effort will help our state agencies function more effectively, along with supporting current servicemembers and veterans alike!
I just had someone tell me that when I used to give the morning
#mnwx
for
@MPRnews
, his son who was 3-4yrs loved weather & my voice and saying "we have to get in the car to listen to Nicole" was how he'd get his son going every morning.
As a mom to kids the same age, I💕that.
🥹
It was such an honor to meet with some of our trade union representatives this afternoon & get a tour of the impressive training facility at
@IBEW_110
!
I'm proud to support our unions and the work they do to ensure MN workers are well-trained, have good benefits, and fair wages.
Having surgery on my foot tomorrow I've put off since March (couldn't campaign on crutches).
All kids were planned to be out (school + an all day visitation for foster baby).
Planned a packed day of thing to get done pre-surgery.
Mother nature: How cute, she made plans. ❄️☃️
What a beautiful day to help
@kowalskismarket
celebrate their 40th anniversary!
The Woodbury store has been open since August 2000 and is the company's headquarters!