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Sandra Feist

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Sandra Feist
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 39B district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 5, 2021
Preceded byMary Kunesh-Podein
Personal details
BornGreen Bay, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic (DFL)
SpouseBen
Children2
ResidenceNew Brighton, Minnesota
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison (B.A.)
William Mitchell College of Law (J.D.)
Occupation
WebsiteGovernment website Campaign website

Sandra Feist is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2021. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, (DFL), Feist represents District 41B in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Columbia Heights and New Brighton, and parts of Anoka, Hennepin, and Ramsey Counties.[1][2]

Early life, education and career

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Feist was born and raised in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning a B.A. in history and politics.[1] She subsequently moved to New Orleans, Louisiana to sing jazz. Feist began a career in immigration law, starting as a Case Manager for David Ware & Associates.[3]

In 2005, while attending Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Feist was displaced due to Hurricane Katrina. She traveled north to be with family in Minnesota. Feist transferred to William Mitchell College of Law, where she met her husband, Ben. Feist and her husband moved to New Brighton, where she opened a small firm specializing in immigration law in 2010.[4]

Feist has held various leadership positions in the local American Immigration Lawyers Association chapter, including vice chair and chair.[5] In that role, Feist expressed both praise of and disappointment with President Barack Obama's record on immigration reform.[6][7] She advocated against country limits for employment-based green cards, calling them racist.[8] Feist criticized President Donald Trump's immigration policy and the U.S. Senate's RAISE Act.[9][10][11][12]

Minnesota House of Representatives

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Feist was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2020 and reelected in 2022. She first ran after two-term DFL incumbent Mary Kunesh-Podein announced she would seek election to the Minnesota State Senate.[1][13]

Feist is the vice chair of the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee and sits on the Economic Development Finance and Policy, Education Policy, and Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committees.[1]

Public safety

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Feist authored "The Veterans Restorative Justice Act" to expand access to Veterans Treatment courts in Minnesota.[14][15] She proposed a bill that would expand state oversight of youth restorative justice programs, saying, "our focus has to be on prevention and intervention".[16][17] Feist signed on to a letter written by Representative Ilhan Omar asking the Department of Justice to expand its investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department following the murder of George Floyd.[18]

Other political positions

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Feist wrote a bill that requires public schools to stock bathrooms with period products.[19] She also carried the Student Data Privacy Act, which would increase protections for students from disproportionate disciplinary action.[20][21] She authored a bill that would increase funding for homeless shelters in Hennepin County.[22] Feist introduced The Boundary Waters Permanent Protection Bill to expand the state ban on mining and stop a proposal by Twin Metals mining.[23]

Electoral history

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2020 Minnesota State House – District 41B[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Sandra Feist 15,958 70.51
Republican Ronald Ray Vogel 6,647 29.37
Write-in 26 0.11
Total votes 22,631 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold
2022 Minnesota State House – District 39B[25]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Sandra Feist (incumbent) 11,467 69.93
Republican Mike Sharp 4,915 29.97
Write-in 15 0.09
Total votes 16,397 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold

Personal life

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Feist lives in New Brighton, Minnesota, with her husband, Ben, and their two children.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Feist, Sandra – Legislator Record – Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  2. ^ "Rep. Sandra Feist (39B) – Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  3. ^ "SANDRA FEIST". grellfeist.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Sawyer, Liz; Koumpilova, Mila (August 28, 2015). "10 years after fleeing Katrina, some have made Minnesota home". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Koumpilova, Mila (February 9, 2015). "Workers thrilled, employers underwhelmed by skilled immigration changes". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  6. ^ Koumpilova, Mila (November 27, 2015). "Minnesota immigrants scale back hopes for Obama's temporary programs". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  7. ^ Koumpilova, Mila (December 30, 2015). "Minnesota visa families see new opportunities for high-skilled spouse". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  8. ^ Koumpilova, Mila (September 6, 2016). "Local immigrants advocate for an end of country limit for employment-based green cards". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  9. ^ Spencer, Jim; Brooks, Jennifer (September 5, 2017). "Stretched for workers, Minnesota businesses lament immigration pushback". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  10. ^ Koumpilova, Mila; Kennedy, Patrick (November 25, 2017). "Minnesota employers of skilled immigrant workers say Trump aims to shame, not reform". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  11. ^ Roper, Eric (April 18, 2019). "Twin Cities population growth crimped by immigration drop". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  12. ^ Hirsi, Ibrahim (2017-03-17). "Meet the Minnesota lawyer standing up to the Trump administration's immigration orders". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  13. ^ "Feist on track to win House District 41B". ABC Newspapers. November 4, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  14. ^ Feist, Sandra (April 1, 2021). "OPINION EXCHANGE | We should treat, not punish, troubled vets". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  15. ^ Brooks, Jennifer (April 24, 2021). "A second chance for veterans gets a second chance at the Legislature". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  16. ^ Serres, Chris; Sawyer, Liz (January 12, 2023). "Citing failures, Minnesota DFL lawmakers push juvenile justice system reforms". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  17. ^ Sawyer, Liz; Serres, Chris; Webster, Mary Jo (August 20, 2022). "Two cousins with diverging fates show promise, failure of youth rehabilitation in Minnesota". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  18. ^ Montemayor, Stephen (8 June 2021). "Rep. Ilhan Omar leads call for DOJ to expand Minnesota federal policing probe". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  19. ^ Campuzano, Eder (January 12, 2023). "Push at Capitol to fund menstrual products for students in Minnesota public schools". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  20. ^ Feist, Sandra (March 10, 2022). "OPINION EXCHANGE | Protect student privacy at school". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  21. ^ Campuzano, Eder (May 8, 2022). "Legislature weighs limits on how schools, companies use data of Minnesota students". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  22. ^ Du, Susan (May 7, 2022). "Hennepin County, Minneapolis homeless shelters facing a $13-million-a-year fiscal cliff". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  23. ^ Radelat, Ana (2023-01-18). "GOP takeover of Congress roils efforts to stop Twin Metals mine". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  24. ^ "2020 Results for State Representative District 41B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  25. ^ "2022 Results for State Representative District 39B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
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