Bolder Options headed to the MN State Capitol last month to present our bill to members of the MN House Workforce Development Committee and MN Senate Jobs & Economic Growth Finance & Policy Committee. Bolder is requesting a one-time $500,000 allocation in fiscal year 2025 from the workforce development fund. Two alums of our programming, Vienna Chang and Christian Gary, impressed both committees with their testimony about their experiences with Bolder Options. Now we need YOU to help keep the momentum building!
Contact Your Legislators
Does your state representative or state senator serve on one of the committees considering our bill? Do you have a personal connection? Please give them a call, send an email, visit them at a local event, or send a handwritten note (these are really effective).
If you are a constituent, be sure to mention that in your message to get extra priority!
Committee Rosters are linked below and include contact information. You can also scroll down on this page to see a full list of names & districts.
MN House Workforce Development Committee (HF 3537)
MN Senate Jobs & Economic Growth Finance & Policy Committee (SF3892)
If your legislator is not on one of these committees, it is still important to reach out to them. We need everyone's help to make sure our bill stays in the budget all they way through the legislative session.
What are we asking for & why?
Bolder Options Youth Mentoring is requesting a one-time $500,000 allocation in fiscal year 2025 from the workforce development fund. This funding is essential for the rapid growth of both our one-year mentoring program and our alumni program. The one-year mentoring program is the pathway to our alumni program. We launched our alumni programming seven years ago and added the I Believe/I Achieve program in 2021 - the demand for this programming currently exceeds our capacity. (The I Believe program had a waiting list this year!) This allocation would be transformational for Bolder Options allowing us to quickly expand our capacity to engage ALL alumni youth who want access to these opportunities. See Bolder Options' supporting document.
Sample Script:
Dear Representative [last name] OR Senator [last name],
My name is [your name] and I live in [city]. I am involved with Bolder Options as a [mentor, mentee, volunteer, staff, board member]. I love Bolder Options because [impact you have seen or story from your experience with Bolder Options.] Please vote yes on House File 3537 / Senate File 3892 to assure that more youth in our community can benefit from Bolder Options programs.
Sincerely,
[your name]
MN House Workforce Development Committee
Rep. Jay Xiong (DFL) District: 67B*
Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura (DFL) District: 63A**
Rep. Jeff Brand (DFL) District: 18A
Rep. Dave Baker (R) District: 16B
Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL) District: 40B
Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL) District: 43A
Rep. Bobbie Harder (R) District: 17B
Rep. Hodan Hassan (DFL) District: 62B
Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger (DFL) District: 47A
Rep. Nathan Nelson (R) District: 11B
Rep. Liz Reyer (DFL) District: 52A
Rep. Mark Wiens (R) District: 41A
Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar (R) District: 03B
*Committee Chair - thank Rep. Xiong for hearing our bill
**Bill Author - thank Rep. Sencer-Mura for authoring our bill!
Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL) District: 59 *
Sen. Zaynab Mohamed (DFL) District: 63 **
Sen. Rich Draheim (R) District: 22
Sen. Heather Gustafson (DFL) District: 36
Sen. Foung Hawj (DFL) District: 67
Sen. Karin Housley (R) District: 33
Sen. Carla J. Nelson (R) District: 24
Sen. Eric R. Pratt (R) District: 54Sen. Aric Putnam (DFL) District: 14
*Committee Chair & Co-Author - thank Sen. Champion for hearing our bill and being a co-author.
**Lead Author - thank Sen. Mohamed for authoring our bill!
Watch the Youth's Testimony
Thank YOU for your support
We want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been speaking up for the Bolder Options bill. Your advocacy helps us to continue to improve our youth programing at Bolder Options. When we work together, we can make a big difference in the lives of young people opening the doors for a brighter future.
