Debra Hilstrom
Encyclopedia
Debra J. Hilstrom is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
representing District 46B, which includes portions of the city of Brooklyn center
in Hennepin County
, which is part of the Twin Cities
metropolitan area. A Democrat
, she is also a local businesswoman.
Hilstrom was first elected in 2000, and has been re-elected every two years since then. Prior to the 2002 legislative redistricting
, the area was known as District 47B. She is currently chair of the House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee, and is a member of the Civil Justice Committee, the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee, the Taxes Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. She also serves on the Finance Subcommittee for the Public Safety Finance Division and on the Public Safety Policy and Oversight Subcommittee for the Crime Victims/Criminal Records Division. She was chair of the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee during the 2007-2008 biennium, and served as an assistant minority leader
during the 2003-2004 biennium. On November 16, 2010, incoming Minority Leader Paul Thissen
announced that she will be Deputy Minority Leader during the 2011-2012 legislative session.
Hillstrom is a life-long resident of her district. She graduated from Park Center Senior High School
in Brooklyn Park
, then went on to the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis
, earning her B.A.
in Sociology. She is currently a student at William Mitchell College of Law
in Saint Paul
. She served on the Brooklyn Center Planning Commission and was an advocate for the Brooklyn Center Domestic Abuse Intervention Program. She was a member of the Brooklyn Center City Council from 1995-2000.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
representing District 46B, which includes portions of the city of Brooklyn center
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
As of the census of 2010, there were 30,104 residents in Brooklyn Center. The racial makeup of the city was 49% White, 26% African American, 1% Native American, 14% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 5% from other races, and 4% from two or more races...
in Hennepin County
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
, which is part of the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metropolitan area. A Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, she is also a local businesswoman.
Hilstrom was first elected in 2000, and has been re-elected every two years since then. Prior to the 2002 legislative redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
, the area was known as District 47B. She is currently chair of the House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee, and is a member of the Civil Justice Committee, the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee, the Taxes Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. She also serves on the Finance Subcommittee for the Public Safety Finance Division and on the Public Safety Policy and Oversight Subcommittee for the Crime Victims/Criminal Records Division. She was chair of the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee during the 2007-2008 biennium, and served as an assistant minority leader
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
during the 2003-2004 biennium. On November 16, 2010, incoming Minority Leader Paul Thissen
Paul Thissen
Paul Thissen is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 63A, which includes south Minneapolis and Richfield in Hennepin County, which is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. He is the current Minnesota House Minority Leader. He was first elected...
announced that she will be Deputy Minority Leader during the 2011-2012 legislative session.
Hillstrom is a life-long resident of her district. She graduated from Park Center Senior High School
Park Center Senior High School
Park Center Senior High School is a three-year public high school located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on 7300 Brooklyn Blvd. The principal is Kelli Parpart and the assistant principals are Heather Miller-Cink and Bart Becker...
in Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
According to the 2010 census, there were 75,781 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 52% White, 24% African American, 1% Native American, 15% Asian, 42 residents identifying themselves as Pacific Islander, 4% from other races, and 4% from two or more races...
, then went on to the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, earning her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Sociology. She is currently a student at William Mitchell College of Law
William Mitchell College of Law
William Mitchell College of Law, or WMCL, is a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Accredited by the American Bar Association , it offers full and part-time legal education in pursuit of the Juris Doctor degree....
in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. She served on the Brooklyn Center Planning Commission and was an advocate for the Brooklyn Center Domestic Abuse Intervention Program. She was a member of the Brooklyn Center City Council from 1995-2000.