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Mike Freiberg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mike Freiberg
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 45B district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2013
Preceded byredrawn district
Personal details
Born (1976-09-23) September 23, 1976 (age 48)
Political partyDemocratic (DFL)
Spouse
Lauren
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2
ResidenceGolden Valley, Minnesota
EducationGeorgetown University (B.A.)
William Mitchell College of Law (J.D.)
Occupation
WebsiteGovernment website Campaign website

Mike Freiberg (born September 23, 1976) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2013. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Freiberg represents District 43B in the central Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Golden Valley and Robbinsdale and parts of Hennepin County.[1][2]

Early life, education and career

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Freiberg was raised in Golden Valley, Minnesota. He has Jewish ancestry.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and Russian from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor from the William Mitchell College of Law.[1][4]

Freiberg was a legislative aide to U.S. Representative Jim Oberstar from 1999 to 2001. From 2005 to 2006, he was a committee administrator for the Minnesota Senate. He was elected to the Golden Valley City Council in 2007 and served until his election to the state legislature.[1]

Freiberg has worked as an adjunct professor for William Mitchell College of Law. He is an attorney for the Public Health Law Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[5][6]

Minnesota House of Representatives

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Freiberg was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2012, and has been reelected every two years since. He first ran for an open seat created by legislative redistricting.[1]

In 2018, Freiberg endorsed fellow state representatives Erin Murphy in the DFL gubernatorial primary and Ilhan Omar for Minnesota's 5th congressional district.[7][8]

Freiberg chairs the Elections Finance and Policy Committee and sits on the Commerce Finance and Policy, State and Local Government Finance and Policy, and Ways and Means Committees. He was an assistant minority leader from 2017 to 2018. From 2019 to 2020 Freiberg chaired the Government Operations Committee, and from 2021 to 2022 he chaired the Preventative Health Division of the Health Finance and Policy Committee.[1]

Election policy

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Freiberg sponsored legislation for Minnesota to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, under which it would award its electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the most popular votes nationwide; the compact goes into effect only when states that together have a majority of electoral votes have joined it.[9] He has argued that the Electoral College has "become less and less representative".[10] Freiberg authored legislation to close campaign finance disclosure loopholes, including increasing campaign finance reporting requirements for local and municipal elections.[11][12]

Freiberg supports legislation that would raise the threshold for major-party status in Minnesota, saying the current system is "susceptible for mischief".[13] The bill faced opposition from third parties as well as former Governor Jesse Ventura, who ran under the Reform Party in 1998.[13]

Health care policy

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In 2015, Freiberg wrote a bill requiring parents to talk to a doctor before parents opt their children out of vaccinations for diseases such as measles and chickenpox.[14][15] The bill was supported by doctors from the Mayo Clinic, but failed to move forward during Republican control of the House.[16][17] He also authored legislation that would support outreach programs to teach communities about the value of vaccinations and combat misinformation.[18] Freiberg has authored "right to die" legislation that allows Minnesotans facing terminal illnesses to have medical aid in dying.[19][20] The bill was modeled on an Oregon state law that has been in place for over 20 years.[21]

Cannabis legalization

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In 2019, Freiberg was the lead House author of legislation that would legalize cannabis by 2022, introduced as House File 420.[22][23] The bill would legalize the drug for those over 21 and direct the Department of Health to regulate it and mitigate negative consequences, including researching and addressing physical and mental health issues related to the drug.[24][25] The proposal was supported by Governor Tim Walz, but faced opposition in the Republican-controlled State Senate, where it was carried by fellow DFLer Melisa Franzen.[22][26]

Other political positions

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Freiberg wrote legislation in 2019 to lock Minnesota on daylight saving time.[27][28] In 2022, he authored legislation to put Minnesota on permanent standard time, saying, "I just want to get rid of the clock change. I don't care which one we go on." The U.S. government has banned states from adopting permanent daylight saving time.[29] Freiberg supported legislation to crack down on the use of "deep-fake" technology in pornography and campaign materials.[30]

Freiberg supported legislation that studied a redesign of Minnesota's state flag, which had been criticized for its design and depiction of Native Americans.[31][32][33][34] He also wrote legislation that would create a "companion animal board" aimed at curbing cruelty to animals and neglect.[35][36]

Electoral results

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2012 Minnesota State House - District 45B[37]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Mike Freiberg 15,053 65.95
Republican Reid Johnson 7,740 33.91
Write-in 31 0.14
Total votes 22,824 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold
2014 Minnesota State House - District 45B[38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Mike Freiberg (incumbent) 10,750 66.94
Republican Alma J. Wetzker 5,281 32.89
Write-in 27 0.17
Total votes 16,058 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold
2016 Minnesota State House - District 45B[39]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Mike Freiberg (incumbent) 15,261 68.04
Republican Alma J. Wetzker 7,098 31.65
Write-in 71 0.32
Total votes 22,430 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold
2018 Minnesota State House - District 45B[40]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Mike Freiberg (incumbent) 15,727 72.44
Republican Steve Merriman 5,954 27.42
Write-in 30 0.14
Total votes 21,711 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold
2020 Minnesota State House - District 45B[41]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Mike Freiberg (incumbent) 17,929 70.63
Republican Ken Fitzgerald 7,430 29.27
Write-in 26 0.10
Total votes 25,385 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold
2022 Minnesota State House - District 43B[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Mike Freiberg (incumbent) 17,141 70.63
Write-in 434 2.47
Total votes 17,575 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold

Personal life

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Freiberg has been married to his wife, Lauren, since 2006. They have two children and reside in Golden Valley, Minnesota.[1] Freiberg plays keyboard and has done so in the Minnesota State Band, the last state band in the nation.[43]

Freiberg is agnostic,[44] and co-founded Minnesota's "Secular Government Caucus".

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Freiberg, Mike". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  2. ^ "Rep. Mike Freiberg (43B) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  3. ^ Mike, Freiberg (August 17, 2017). "Minnesota Lawmakers Joint Statement on Charlottesville". Minnesota Legislature. Minnesota House of Representatives. Retrieved September 6, 2024. They are joined by their colleagues with Jewish ancestry: Reps. Jon Applebaum (44B), Mike Freiberg (45B), Frank Hornstein (61A), and Paul Rosenthal (49B), Sens. Steve Cwodzindski (48), Ron Latz (46), Richard Cohen (64), and Sandy Pappas (65).
  4. ^ Engler, Valerie (August 1, 2012). "Mike Freiberg, DFL Endorsed Candidate for State Representative District 45B". Golden Valley Patch. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  5. ^ "About Mike". Mike Freiberg for State Representative. Friends of Freiberg. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  6. ^ "Mike Freiberg '05". William Mitchell College of Law. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  7. ^ Coolican, J. Patrick (September 9, 2017). "Running an outsider campaign has its downsides". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  8. ^ Rao, Maya (July 1, 2018). "5th District DFL primary features experience, symbolism". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  9. ^ Bakst, Brian (January 26, 2017). "Minnesota lawmakers weigh presidential politics". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  10. ^ Van Oot, Torey (November 20, 2020). "Will Minnesota join the push to switch to a national popular vote?". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  11. ^ Navratil, Liz (August 29, 2021). "Fight over Minneapolis Police Department brings in donations above those in recent years". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  12. ^ Callaghan, Peter (2019-03-15). "Lawmakers look to close campaign finance loophole affecting Minneapolis elections". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  13. ^ a b Bakst, Brian (March 14, 2023). "Party-status bill stirs Ventura; backers say it'll curb ballot 'mischief'". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  14. ^ Olson, Jeremy (January 30, 2015). "University of Minnesota measles case draws attention to wider health threat". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  15. ^ Richert, Catharine (January 29, 2015). "Bill requires talking to MD before opting out of shots". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  16. ^ Benson, Lorna (February 9, 2015). "Measles outbreak sparks call to limit vaccination exemp". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  17. ^ Zdechlik, Mark (December 26, 2017). "Will the 2017 measles outbreak spur a new law in 2018?". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  18. ^ Star Tribune Editorial Board (February 19, 2019). "EDITORIAL | Minnesota bill would counter dangerous vaccine disinformation". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  19. ^ Van Berkel, Jessie (September 11, 2019). "Minnesota lawmakers explore assisted suicide legislation". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  20. ^ Bierschbach, Briana (March 2, 2023). "'Don't have time to wait': Advocates renew push for Minnesota to allow medication aid in dying". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  21. ^ Wurzer, Cathy; Elder, Alanna (March 2, 2023). "Minnesota could legalize physician-assisted suicide". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  22. ^ a b Van Oot, Torey (January 28, 2019). "Minnesota measure would legalize marijuana by 2022". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  23. ^ Callaghan, Peter (2019-01-29). "Is the legalization of recreational marijuana in Minnesota inevitable?". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  24. ^ Coolican, J. Patrick (January 21, 2019). "Legislators begin pushing marijuana legalization measures". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  25. ^ Moylan, Martin (February 19, 2019). "What if every day was 4/20 in Minnesota?". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  26. ^ Coolican, J. Patrick (January 26, 2019). "Cannabis legalization cautiously on the move". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  27. ^ Brooks, Jennifer (March 12, 2019). "Sleep-deprived lawmakers are tired of springing forward and falling back". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  28. ^ Bakst, Brian (March 13, 2019). "Is it time to end spring forward, fall back?". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  29. ^ Nesterak, Max (April 19, 2022). "Minnesota lawmakers look to eliminate biannual clock changes". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  30. ^ Bierschbach, Briana (February 18, 2023). "Minnesota legislators want to crack down on 'deep fake' disinformation". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  31. ^ Van Berkel, Jessie. "Lawmakers aim to redesign 'outdated' Minnesota flag". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  32. ^ Nelson, Emma (April 9, 2022). "Some Minnesota legislators want to rethink state flag". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  33. ^ Ibrahim, Mohamed (March 24, 2022). "Lawmakers push to redesign Minnesota state flag and seal". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  34. ^ Nelson, Tim (April 27, 2022). "Push to change Minnesota state flag gains traction, faces headwinds". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  35. ^ Nelson, Tim (March 2, 2022). "Animal welfare advocates, veterinarians differ on proposed board for pets". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  36. ^ Ferguson, Dana (March 2, 2023). "A bi-paw-tisan effort? Lawmakers pitch pet-specific animal board". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  37. ^ "2012 Results for State Representative District 45B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  38. ^ "2014 Results for State Representative District 45B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  39. ^ "2016 Results for State Representative District 45B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  40. ^ "2018 Results for State Representative District 45B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  41. ^ "2020 Results for State Representative District 45B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  42. ^ "2022 Results for State Representative District 43B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  43. ^ Bierschbach, Briana (2017-03-10). "Last band standing". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  44. ^ "Humanist, Atheist, Agnostic and Nonreligious Elected Officials". Center for Freethought Equality. Center for Freethought Equality. Retrieved September 6, 2024. Rep. Freiberg is an agnostic. He was re-elected in 2022 to a two-year term.
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