# Sandra Feist *American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2021* Sandra Feist is a Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) member of the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]], in which she has served since 2021. She represents District 39B, which was numbered 41B before redistricting. The district lies in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area. It takes in the cities of Columbia Heights and [[New Brighton, Minnesota|New Brighton]], along with portions of Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey Counties.[^1] She won the seat in 2020 and held it in 2022. Her House work includes authored or carried bills on veterans and youth restorative justice, free menstrual products in public schools, and student data privacy. HF2750, the menstrual-products bill, took effect on January 1, 2024.[^1] ## Early life, education and career Feist grew up in Wisconsin. She completed a B.A. in history and politics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She then went to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she sang jazz. Her legal career began in immigration law as a case manager at David Ware & Associates.[^1] Feist was a student at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina displaced her. She went north to family in [[Minnesota]] and transferred to [[William Mitchell College of Law]], where she met her husband, Ben. The couple settled in New Brighton. In 2010 she started a small firm there focused on immigration law.[^1] In the local chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Feist served in leadership roles that included vice chair and chair. Speaking in that capacity, she both praised President Barack Obama's immigration reform record and voiced disappointment with it. She opposed per-country limits on employment-based green cards and called those limits racist.[^1] She also criticized President Donald Trump's immigration policy and the U.S. Senate's RAISE Act.[^1] ## Minnesota House of Representatives Feist won election in 2020 and reelection in 2022. Her first campaign followed the announcement by Mary Kunesh-Podein, a DFL member who had held the seat for two terms, that she would run for the Minnesota State Senate.[^1] On committees, Feist is vice chair of Public Safety Finance and Policy. She is also a member of three other committees: Economic Development Finance and Policy; Education Policy; and Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.[^1] ### Public safety Feist was the author of the *Veterans Restorative Justice Act*, which was intended to widen access to veterans treatment courts across Minnesota. She also introduced a bill to increase state oversight of restorative justice programs for young people. Describing that bill, she said "our focus has to be on prevention and intervention".[^1] After the [[Murder of George Floyd|murder of George Floyd]], she joined a letter by Representative [[Ilhan Omar]] that asked the Department of Justice to broaden its investigation of the [[Minneapolis Police Department]].[^1] ### Access to menstrual products in schools Under HF2750, which Feist authored, Minnesota public schools must provide free menstrual products in both girls' and boys' bathrooms that students in grades 4 through 12 use. The funding mechanism was a $2 per-pupil increase in each district's operating capital revenue. The bill passed and became effective on January 1, 2024.[^1] Explaining the bill, Feist said that "not all students who menstruate are female". She added: "There are obviously less non-female menstruating students and therefore their usage will be much lower. That was actually calculated into the cost of this."[^1] ### Other political positions Feist also carried the Student Data Privacy Act. That bill would strengthen protections for students against disproportionate disciplinary action.[^1] ## Personal life Feist and her husband, Ben, have two children. The family lives in New Brighton.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Sandra Feist* (Wikipedia article, revision 1377035933, retrieved 2026-10-26) — biographical, district, election, committee, legislative and personal details as stated in the article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Feist