>> Mary: THIS WEEK'S RETIRING LAWMAKER JOINED THE HOUSE IN THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC.

AND NOW AFTER THREE TERMS HERE, THE IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY AND CIVILITY CAUCUS COCHAIR IS LEAVING.

>> HE MEMBER FROM RAMSEY, REPRESENTATIVE FEIST.

>> THANK YOU, MADAM SPEAKER.

I RISE TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME TO SPEAK ON THE HOUSE FLOOR, OR MY FIRST TIME TO ALK ABOUT THE VETERANS ESTORATIVE JUSTICE ACT AND I PROMISE I WILL KEEP IT SUCCINCT.

THIS BILL CREATES A STATEWIDE ACCESS TO A SPECIALIZED, RESTORATIVE SENTENCING STRUCTURE FOR ELIGIBLE VETERANS WHO HAVE COMMITTED CERTAIN OFFENSE S A DIRECT RESULT OF SERVICE RELATED CONDITION.

>> NURSES AT THE BEDSIDE ACT IS GETTING A STRONG RESPONSE AT THE CAPITOL AFTER MAYO'S POWERFUL OPPOSITION.

>> ANY OMPROMISE THAT WE WOULD ENTER INTO WOULD HAVE TO ACHIEVE THESE BILLS' GOALS.

AND THEY CANNOT INCLUDE THE LANGUAGE THAT MAYO CLINIC HAS PROPOSED.

THAT WOULD GUT THIS BILL, THAT WOULD EXEMPT EVERY SINGLE HOSPITAL IN MINNESOTA FROM OUR BILL.

THAT IS NOT AN OPTION.

>> Mary: ONE OF THE BIGGER BUDGET BILLS, PUBLIC SAFETY, FINISHED, AND ALSO CREATES RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND ORE POLICE FUNDING.

>> THE INVESTMENTS WE'RE MAKING IN YOUTH ARE HISTORIC AND CRITICAL AND I THINK THIS IS THE BEST BUDGET I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

>> Mary: REPRESENTATIVE SANDRA FEIST, A DEMOCRAT, AND REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE KRISTIN ROBBINS.

>> I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO GETTING GOOD LEGISLATION PASSED.

WHEN I FIRST WAS ELECTED I KNEW I WANTED TO FOCUS ON DATA PRIVACY AND SO IF IN MY FIRST SESSION I WAS WORKING REALLY CLOSELY WITH REPRESENTATIVE PEGGY SCOTT AND NOW SENATOR ERIC LUCERO.

AND I DEVELOPED THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND IT MADE ME REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE BIPARTISAN RELATIONSHIPS.

>> O YOU THINK YOU MIGHT BE MORE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN IN THE CIVILITY CAUCUS BECAUSE YOU'VE LEARNED HOW TO WORK ACROSS THE AISLE?

>> I WOULD SAY EFINITELY.

I THINK YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE THINKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY YOU COULD BE IN THE MINORITY AND TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED AND LISTEN TO PEOPLE AND INCORPORATE THEIR INPUT BECAUSE, ABSOLUTELY, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

>> Mary: WITH US NOW IN PERSON, REPRESENTATIVE SANDRA FEIST.

WELL, IT'S NOTABLE BECAUSE YOUR VERY FIRST YEAR AND YOUR VERY SPEECH WAS THROUGH A MASK.

WHAT IMPRESSION DID THAT LEAVE TO START DURING A PANDEMIC HERE?

>> YEAH, WHEN I THINK BACK ON MY FIRST TERM I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW HOW WE GOT ANYTHING DONE BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH WORK THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU JUST HAPPEN TO RUN IN TO SOMEBODY AS YOU'RE LIKE HEATING UP YOUR SAD NOODLES FOR LUNCH.

AND DURING OUR FIRST SESSION FOR THAT FIRST YEAR WE WERE MOSTLY REMOTE AND A OT OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS HAD TO BE VERY DELIBERATE AND MOSTLY BY ZOOM.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE EXPERIENCES WITH THE BILL PASSING WAS ACTUALLY AT HOME WATCHING THE HEARING IN MY HOME OFFICE AND I WAS LIKE ON THE FLOOR SCREAMING AS LIKE DRAMA WAS HAPPENING, SO YOU CAN'T DO THAT WHEN YOU'RE LIKE ON THE ACTUAL HOUSE FLOOR.

>> Mary: I KNOW SOME OF THE SEASONED LAWMAKERS HAVE SAID THE COVID CLASS WAS A LITTLE BEHIND BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T DO ALL OF THOSE IN-PERSON RELATIONSHIPS.

AND IT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER FOR THEM TO BUILD UP THE BIPARTISAN ACROSS THE AISLE.

BUT FOLKS HAVE SAID THAT SINCE THEN THEY FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS HAVE ALL MADE UP FOR LOST TIME.

LIKE YOU WERE BEHIND BUT NOW YOU'VE CAUGHT UP AND MAYBE EVEN EVERYTHING THE STATE HAS BEEN THROUGH SINCE THEN HAVE BROUGHT YOU TOGETHER.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT ANALYSIS?

>> WELL, I THINK THAT THE CORONA CLASS IS CURRENTLY THE MOST AWESOME CLASS, WE STARTED OUT AWESOME AND CONTINUED TO BE AWESOME.

WE DEFINITELY FACED SOME CHALLENGES AND REALLY MADE AN EFFORT JUST TO GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER.

WE WOULD MEET BY ZOOM AND DO WEIRD GAMES ON PHONES JUST TO MAKE SURE WE HAD A RELATIONSHIP, AND, YOU KNOW, IT DEFINITELY WAS A CHALLENGING ERA TO COME IN, BUT WE'VE DEFINITELY MADE OUR MARK AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF THAT.

>> Mary: AND THEN GEORGE FLOYD IS KILLED AND WE JUST SAW YOU A MOMENT AGO TALKING ABOUT RESTORATIVE JUSTICE.

YOU WERE PART OF SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS WHEN, BIPARTISAN, I THINK IT WAS BIPARTISAN OLKS SAID WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

>> YEAH, WELL, MY FIRST SESSION I CAME IN AND THE VETERANS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE ACT WAS REALLY WHAT BROUGHT ME TO RESTORATIVE JUSTICE.

I CAME IN IN THE MIDDLE F A VERY COMPLICATED BILL THAT HAD, AS REPRESENTATIVE ECKLUND SAID, SOME LAWYER ISSUES.

SO HE ASKED ME TO COME IN AND HELP AND I GOT TO KNOW VETERANS AND ADVOCATES AND TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WHICH IS A WAY TO ADDRESS HARM THAT ENSURES ACCOUNTABILITY BUT ALSO IS A HEALING PROCESS THAT CAN PROVIDE MORE CLOSURE FOR VICTIMS.

AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT PASSED WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.

THAT WAS THE BILL THAT I WAS ON THE FLOOR IN MY OFFICE SCREAMING ABOUT.

THERE WAS A LOT OF TEARS AFTER IT PASSED BUT IT'S KIND OF STUCK WITH ME MY WHOLE TIME IN THE LEGISLATURE.

>> Mary: OU MENTIONED LAWYER ISSUES.

YOU ARE AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY.

>> YES.

>> Mary: WHAT HAVE THE LAST THROUGH -- FEW MONTHS THROUGH OPERATION METRO SURGE BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?

>> IT'S BEEN VERY TOUGH, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE THE WORDS FOR IT.

JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS MY ROLE AS AN ATTORNEY, WHAT IS MY ROLE AS A LEGISLATOR.

THE REASON I'M LEAVING IS PRIMARILY BECAUSE I FEEL THAT I NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON MY WORK AS AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY.

BUT AS A REPRESENTATIVE I WAS ALSO TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS LIKE SHARING INFORMATION WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND SO I JUST KIND OF STRADDLED BOTH OF THOSE WORLDS, AND DID THE BEST I COULD IN A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE TIME.

>> Mary: AND YOU ALSO LOST THE PERSON WHO WAS YOUR LEADER THROUGH YOUR ENTIRE TIME HERE, HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT, WE'RE LOOKING AT HER FLOWERS, I CAN SEE THEM RIGHT NOW, HER MEMORIAL RIGHT BELOW US ON THE FLOOR.

IT'S AN EVERYDAY PRESENCE, THE LOSS OF MELISSA HORTMAN, HOW ARE YOU FEELING IT?

>> YEAH, I MEAN, SHE WAS THE GLUE THAT HELD US TOGETHER.

SHE WAS ALSO A PERSON THAT WE ALL TRUSTED.

AND SO T DEFINITELY WE FEEL A BIT UNMOORED, I THINK WE ALL TRY TO LIVE UP TO WHAT SHE WOULD WANT US TO DO, HOW SHE WOULD WANT US TO TREAT ONE ANOTHER AND HOW SHE WOULD WANT US TO FORGET OUR WORK WITH SERIOUSNESS AND INTEGRITY AND COMMITMENT.

AND SO I THINK WE'RE JUST TRYING TO LIVE UP TO WHAT SHE WOULD WANT S TO, AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT >> Mary: WHAT ABOUT ADVICE FOR THE PERSON WHO REPLACES YOU AND THE WHOLE NEW CROP OF DOZENS OF LAWMAKERS WHO ARE COMING?

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM?

>> I HAVE SO MANY OPINIONS.

I MET WITH THE PERSON WHO'S RUNNING FOR MY SEAT AND IT WAS LIKE 7 HOURS, SO I WAS LIKE I HAVE MANY OPINIONS FOR YOU.

YOU KNOW, I CO-LEAD THE CIVILITY CAUCUS AND I JUST THINK THAT HAVING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS DIFFERENCES IS SO IMPORTANT.

I FEEL VERY PASSIONATE, I'M VERY OPINIONATED, I'M VERY PROGRESSIVE, BUT I FEEL THAT SEEING THE COMMON HUMANITY IN PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE WITH US PASSIONATELY IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO OUR WORK AND TO SCRUTINIZE OUR OWN ASSUMPTIONS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING GOOD LAW.

>> Mary: CIVILITY HAS BEEN VERY HARD TO COME BY.

ARE YOU STILL FIGHTING FOR IT?

DO YOU STILL SEE IT BREAKING OUT HERE?

>> I'VE ALWAYS FOUND IT VERY EASY TO COME BY.

AND I THINK I JUST TRY TO APPROACH EVERYONE WITH THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.

AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS UST TALKING WITH A REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUE WHO WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING OVER SOMETHING IN ONE OF OUR COMMITTEES LIKE EVERY TIME, IT FEELS LIKE IT COMES UP AND SAY MY THING AND HE SAYS HIS THING AND THEN WE WERE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR AFTERWARDS AND I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ONE ISSUE.

AND HE'S LIKE I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU, LIKE YOU SHOW UP, YOU'RE ALWAYS HAPPY, LIKE TO BE HERE AND HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS, AND LIKE I WAS LIKE, WOW, I BARELY KNEW THIS PERSON, LIKE MOST OF THE TIME ALL WE DO IS FIGHT AND SO I FEEL LIKE THERE'S JUST A WAY YOU CAN SHOW UP WHERE YOU'RE STILL LIKE ASSERTING YOUR STRONG OPINIONS AND YOUR VALUES BUT DOING IT IN A WAY THAT'S LIKE I ALSO SEE YOU AND I HEAR YOU AND I WANT TO LIKE HAV