Bennett is the minority lead on the Education Policy Committee and serves on the Education Finance and Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committees. From 2015-16, Bennett served as vice chair of the Education Innovation Policy Committee. She was an assistant minority leader from 2019 to 2022.[1]
Education
Bennett has called for more local control in education decisions.[7] She opposed efforts to provide free meals to all school children, regardless of family income, calling it a "shotgun approach".[8][9] She supported a bill that would speed up the licensing process for substitute teachers in response to workforce shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that DFL proposals didn't go far enough.[10] Bennett has spoken against bills to increase recruitment of teachers of color.[11]
Other political positions
In 2018, Bennett authored legislation that passed unanimously creating a "sibling bill of rights" to help children in the foster care system avoid being separated from their siblings.[12] She supported legislation increasing penalties on distracted driving and on protestors that block freeways.[13][14] Bennett has been in contact and worked directly with an anti-LGBTQ group in Minnesota, the "Child Protection League."[15][16][17] She has opposed proposals to raise the gas tax to pay for roads and bridges improvements.[18] Bennett stated she carries a handgun while at the State Capitol.[19]
Bennett led House Republican opposition of the Mayo Clinic for its vaccine mandate policy for employees, calling for a halt in state funding for health care facilities that fire employees "due to unrealistic vaccine mandate policies".[20][21][22]
