# Steve Elkins (politician) *Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (DFL) for District 50B since 2019* Steve Elkins (born April 17, 1952) is a member of the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]], where he has represented District 50B since 2019 as a member of the [[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party]] (DFL).[^1] The district lies in the southwestern part of the Twin Cities metropolitan area and takes in [[Bloomington, Minnesota]] and parts of Hennepin County.[^1] Before he entered the Legislature, Elkins held three terms on the Bloomington city council. He left that seat in 2011 when Governor [[Mark Dayton]] named him to the [[Metropolitan Council (Minnesota)]].[^1] He won his House seat in 2018 after the incumbent resigned. In 2022, after redistricting, he defeated a sitting colleague in the DFL primary.[^1] ## Early life, education, and career Elkins holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and works as an IT architect.[^1] He served on the Bloomington city council for three terms, until Governor Dayton's 2011 appointment of him to the Metropolitan Council.[^1] His other local posts included chairing the Metropolitan Council Transportation Advisory Board. He was also a member of the Bloomington City Planning Commission and of the Bloomington School District Transportation Task Force.[^1] ## Minnesota House of Representatives Elkins first won election to the House in 2018 and has won each biennial election since.[^1] His first candidacy followed the resignation of [[Paul Rosenthal (Minnesota politician)]]. Rosenthal, a DFL member, had held the seat for four terms and left to take a job in another state.[^1] The 2022 legislative redistricting drew Elkins and fellow Representative [[Andrew Carlson (politician)]] into a single district, and Elkins won the DFL primary between them.[^1] As of the cited revision of the Wikipedia article, Elkins is vice chair of the Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee.[^1] He is also a member of the Health Finance and Policy, Taxes, and Transportation Finance and Policy committees, and of the Taxes Committee's Property Tax Division.[^1] He previously held two vice-chair posts. In 2019–2020 he was vice chair of the Subcommittee on Local Government, and in 2021–2022 he was vice chair of the Local Government Division of the State Government Finance and Elections Committee.[^1] ### Transportation Elkins backed bipartisan legislation that lets undocumented immigrants register vehicles using a consular ID.[^1] He also authored a bill to lower the penalties for fare evasion on public transit. The same bill would place "uniformed transit safety officials," rather than police officers, on light-rail trains.[^1] He has stated that suburban police departments are willing to help monitor [[Metro Transit (Minnesota)]] sites.[^1] He also supported efforts to audit how the Metropolitan Council, the body to which he was appointed in 2011, managed the [[Southwest Light Rail]] project.[^1] ### Housing Elkins has authored many bills on housing prices and supply, among them a Housing Affordability Act in 2021. In that connection he said that "NIMBYism is alive and well" in Minnesota.[^1] In an op-ed, he urged cities to adopt rule changes and zoning policies that would encourage more affordable housing on smaller lots.[^1] He has also authored legislation that would limit cities' power to regulate development and local zoning.[^1] ## Personal life Elkins lives in Bloomington, and he and his wife, Judy, have two children.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Steve Elkins (politician)* (revision 1365785745, retrieved 2026-10-26) — establishes birth date, party, district, prior local offices, 2011 Metropolitan Council appointment, election history, committee assignments, and legislative positions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Elkins_(politician)