On the Issues

No matter their zip code or socioeconomic status, every Minnesota child deserves access to a world-class education. In the 2019 and the 2021 Education Budget, House DFLers made historic investments in our students, educators and schools. Investing in public schools is essential to the future of Minnesota - when we invest in our kids, we invest in our state. Carlie and her husband are raising a biracial family here in Eden Prairie and they know the value of diversity and representation. So Carlie is working to increase the number of teachers of color in our schools and she supports Grow-Your-Own policies for local districts. She also is a proponent of reinvigorating technical education programs and has been a champion of statewide health education standards during her time in the legislature.

Supporting our young people on their chosen path is important. For those who plan to attend college or university, House DFLers have a bold vision to support their success and that of our higher education institutions. Carlie has supported a fully-funded tuition freeze at public institutions, a $35M investment in the State Grant, increased mental health and food access on campuses, and over $8M in grants, scholarships and investments to help graduate more teachers of color and American Indian teachers in Minnesota.

Affordability is at the heart of creating thriving, equitable communities where every family can succeed. Representative Kotyza-Witthuhn is committed to reducing the cost of living for Minnesotans by addressing the critical areas of childcare, healthcare, and housing.

When Carlie first announced her candidacy for the MN House in 2018, she and her husband didn’t have any children. They now have 4 children, 8 and under. At one point, they were spending almost twice their mortgage payment on childcare. Carlie knows her family is not alone in this - but most of her colleagues at the legislature no longer have young children and these stories are often overlooked. Parents are dealing with a number of financial realities: they’re often at the beginning of their career with a lower salary point, frequently dealing with repayment of college loans, potentially purchasing their first home and trying to find high quality and affordable childcare for their children. The economics of childcare just don’t add up and her top priority is investing in early care and learning to combat the opportunity gap and ensure that parents don’t have to choose between work, study, or accessing quality childcare.

As the author of the Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act and the Great Start Childcare Tax Credit, Carlie has championed additional investments in early learning scholarships and child care assistance funding, increasing reimbursement rates and helping our essential child care providers with relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowhere is there a more cost-effective way to combat our ongoing opportunity gap than these investments in our youngest Minnesotans, which can have up to a 16:1 return on spending.

Families deserve access to quality, affordable childcare, ensuring that parents can work while their children are cared for in a safe, nurturing environment. Healthcare must be accessible and affordable for all, so no one has to choose between paying medical bills and meeting other basic needs. Housing should be within reach for every family, offering stability and security without overwhelming financial burden. By tackling these key issues, we can build a more affordable and inclusive future for all Minnesotans.

Carlie has a degree in entrepreneurship from the University of St. Thomas and has spoken to a number of business owners in the community about the challenges they faced during the pandemic and as we work to rebuild our economy. She was a co-author of a $60M appropriation of the federal CARES Act funding to our small businesses, which provided relief dollars to our community throughout the pandemic. Carlie was a co-author and conferee of the 2022 Liquor Modernization bill, was the co-author of the 2023 Paid Family Leave bill, and championed provisions like #FreeTheGrowler and increased on-sale options for micro-breweries and micro-distilleries.

In 2019 and 2021, Carlie authored the Angel Investor Tax Credit which encourages investments in Minnesota startups in high technology or new proprietary technology. The innovation we continue to see in Minnesota, especially in the Med Alley, is promising. She has confidence that the return on investment in these types of state programs will help create a brighter economic future for Minnesota. 

Carlie supports a number of climate change proposals to create or increase jobs in Minnesota while taking steps to combat this critical environmental issue. She will continue to work with the experts, advocates, and labor leaders to ensure that jobs in the economy of the future provide family- and community-sustaining salaries and benefits.

It’s impossible to grow the economy of the future if our infrastructure is crumbling. Improving our transit system will create more jobs and provide workers and residents reliable transit options, as well as allowing our businesses to better transport their goods and provide consumers easier access to services. Carlie supports jobs and local projects (or bonding) investments that are routinely blocked by Republicans.

We are facing one of the most egregious attacks on our health and bodily autonomy as the Supreme Court considers reversing standing precedent in Roe v. Wade. Women should have control over their reproductive health and Carlie has co-authored numerous proposals in the House to ensure they do. The Repro Rights Act and HF4900, which prohibits the response that local law enforcement can take based upon an out-of-state warrant or subpoena should another state ban abortion access, are two examples.

One of the most common concerns Carlie hears from constituents is the cost of pharmaceutical drugs. These critical and often life-saving medications can cost our neighbors more than their rent or mortgage payments and we should not have to choose between keeping a roof over our heads or purchasing the medication we need to function at our best. Carlie co-authored the bipartisan Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act which is the first of its kind in the nation. This bill allows Minnesotans with diabetes to access a 30-day supply of insulin with just a $35 copay. She also supported the Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act, which requires drug manufacturers to report certain information to the Minnesota Department of Health. 

Disparities are entrenched in our communities and run deep to the institutional and structural foundations that shape policing, education, housing, employment, transportation, and our health systems. Centuries of racist ideas and racist policies have led to racial inequity that we now need to address. Our LGBTQ neighbors continue to experience long-standing opposition to equal rights, often cloaked in claims of religious freedom. Climate change continues to deepen its impact on our community. In the legislature, we are working together to rebuild the economy, have strong functioning schools, enact policies to help working people, improve health care for everyone, and strengthen environmental protections for the people of Minnesota.

All of us, white, black, brown, or indigenous want to feel valued, welcome, and safe in our community. Working alongside our police officers to build relationships and ensure they have the training and support they need, and that everyone - our neighbors and law enforcement professionals - can all return home to our families safely at the end of the day. Carlie does not support defunding the police and is appreciative of Police Chief Sackett and his law enforcement team and the innovative ways they’re trying to engage neighbors in Eden Prairie - like Coffee with a Cop and their new initiative: the Neighborhood Police Officers program which will allow officers and residents to get to know each other and work to better solve community challenges. Carlie is also proud to have passed a bi-partisan bill to fund the Automobile Theft Prevention Library and is committed to fighting for increased gun violence protections for our community.

Minnesotans should be able to trust that businesses and agencies have their best interests at heart - and if not, they should have access to reliable recourse. Representative Kotyza-Witthuhn serves as vice-chair of the House Commerce committee. Under her partnership with Chair Stephenson and the Senate Republican Majority, they have enacted policies such as: MN Lottery Winner Anonymity*, the Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights, the Toxic Toys Act*, Catalytic Converter Theft Response Prevention, and the PFAS ban on juvenile products, which she authored to regulate harmful chemicals. *CKW was chief author.