Leon Michael Lillie (born June 1961) is an American politician serving in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint ...

since 2005. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Repr ...

(DFL), Lillie represents District 44B in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Oakdale, North St. Paul, and Maplewood and parts of

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...

and

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Counties.

Early life, education and career

Lillie graduated from North High School in North Saint Paul, then attended the

University of Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...

Nottingham, England Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robin ...

, and Luther College in

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...

, earning his B.S. in political science. Lillie served on the North Saint Paul City Council from 1995 to 2004, and unsuccessfully ran for Ramsey County Commissioner. When elected, he worked as a baggage handler and ramp agent for

Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...

Minnesota House of Representatives

Lillie was elected to the

in 2004 and has been reelected every two years since. He defeated two-term DFL incumbent Scott Wasiluk in a DFL primary after Wasiluk was caught on video drinking alcohol in his Capitol office. Since 2019, Lillie has chaired the Legacy Finance Division, which oversees the allocation of proceeds from a state sales tax increase passed in 2008. Those funds are designated to protect drinking water and wildlife habitat and to preserve arts and cultural heritage. Lillie also sits on the Capital Investment, Rules and Legislative Administration, and Ways and Means Committees. He served as vice chair of the Commerce and Labor Committee from 2009 to 2010 and as an assistant majority leader for the House DFL caucus from 2013 to 2014.

Legacy amendment funds

Lillie has served on the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, which makes recommendations to the legislature on how Legacy Funds should be spent. In 2022, he authored legislation to spend $159 million from the Legacy Fund to restore and enhance natural areas. Lillie called the bill, which was the result of negotiations with the Republican Senate, "a little bit disappointing" and called for further investments in subsequent years.

Labor and union contracts

Lillie was a member of the Subcommittee on Employee Relations. In 2012, he criticized Republican members who voted to reject contracts for state employees containing a two percent pay raise. In 2017, he voted to accept union contracts with MAPE and AFSCME, but was outvoted by Republicans. Lillie spoke out against Republican plans to cut legislative staff in 2015, calling it "really not Minnesotan", and has opposed efforts to make union dues voluntary. In 2020, he supported state workers' union contracts that included what he called "reasonable" salary increases.

Other political positions

Lillie co-authored legislation to build a new

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stadium, to be paid for in part by a local sales tax. He voted for the final bill authorizing construction of the stadium.

Electoral history

Personal life

Lillie is married and has three children. His brother, Ted Lillie, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, was a member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are h ...

from 2011 to 2012. He is Lutheran.

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lillie, Leon 1961 births Living people People from North St. Paul, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives American Lutherans Luther College (Iowa) alumni Alumni of the University of Nottingham 21st-century American legislators Lutherans from Minnesota 21st-century Minnesota politicians