On the Issues

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.

No matter their zip code or socioeconomic status, every Minnesota child deserves access to a world-class education. Over the last decade, House DFLers have made historic investments in our students, educators and schools. Investing in public schools is essential to the future of Minnesota. She authored statewide health education standards during her time in the legislature so every child across the state will learn from a science-based, age-appropriate health curriculum.

Carlie voted in favor of 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 support teachers of color and American Indian teachers on their path to being an educator.

Carlie has a degree in entrepreneurship from the University of St. Thomas and is in frequent contact with local business owners about the challenges they face in our ever-changing economy. She co-authored a $60M appropriation of the federal CARES Act funding to our small businesses, which provided relief dollars to our community throughout the pandemic. Carlie championed the 2022 Liquor Modernization bill and advocated for provisions like #FreeTheGrowler and increased on-sale options for micro-breweries (like Fat Pants!) and micro-distilleries (like Flying Dutchman Spirits!).

It’s impossible to grow the economy of the future if our infrastructure is crumbling. Improving our transit system will create more jobs, provide reliable transportation options, as well as allow businesses to better transport their goods and provide consumers easier access to services. Carlie is working hand-in-hand with the Eden Prairie City Council and the Eden Prairie Police Department for state investment to enhance our local roadways and emergency response systems.

Healthcare is a human right and each Minnesotan deserves access to high-quality, affordable care when and where they need it.

As a champion for bodily autonomy, Carlie believes that reproductive healthcare (including birth control, IVF, and abortion!) is a decision best left to the individual and not the government.

One of the most common concerns Carlie hears from constituents is the cost of pharmaceutical drugs. Essential and life-saving medication should not cost an arm and a leg. Carlie co-authored the bipartisan Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act and has supported Prescription Drug Price Transparency, which requires additional pricing data from pharmaceutical companies and benefits managers.

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.