38 Facts About Frank Hornstein

Frank Hornstein was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1959 to parents of Hungarian and Polish descent who survived the Holocaust in Germany.

Frank Hornstein received his bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Macalester College.

Frank Hornstein earned a master's in urban and environmental policy from Tufts University, and attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute.

Frank Hornstein worked as a community organizer for COACT, a grassroots citizens' action group, Clean Water Action, and as a volunteer on Paul Wellstone's 1982 campaign for state auditor.

Frank Hornstein was appointed to the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council by Governor Jesse Ventura in 2000, serving until his election to the legislature.

Frank Hornstein was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2002 and has been reelected every two years since.

Frank Hornstein supported Bernie Sanders during the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primary and was a delegate for Sanders.

Frank Hornstein later endorsed Hillary Clinton after Sanders did the same.

Frank Hornstein has chaired the Transportation Finance and Policy Committee since 2019.

Frank Hornstein sits on the Climate and Energy Finance and Policy, Sustainable Infrastructure Policy, and Ways and Means Committees.

Frank Hornstein chaired the Transportation and Transit Policy Committee from 2007 to 2010 and the Transportation Finance Committee from 2013 to 2014.

Frank Hornstein has long supported issuing driver's licenses regardless of immigration status.

Frank Hornstein has supported increasing the state gas tax and the sales tax in the Twin Cities to pay for transit improvements.

Frank Hornstein has pushed for stricter speed limits on city streets to protect pedestrians and bicyclers, increasing the use of electric buses, and reducing the number of drivers on roads.

Frank Hornstein has authored legislation to leverage federal infrastructure dollars for projects in Minnesota.

Frank Hornstein has authored legislation that made it illegal to text while driving, and bills to raise fines for drivers repeatedly caught texting and driving.

Frank Hornstein authored bills to make it illegal to use a cellphone while driving without a hands-free device, which faced opposition from House Republicans.

Frank Hornstein has advocated for greater regulation of railroads, especially oil trains, and authored amendments and bills requiring companies to share the cost of rail line upgrades.

Frank Hornstein has opposed legislation to absolve companies of liability in case of accidents, pushed for a law requiring a study of the industry, and later authored bipartisan legislation to fix the issues found.

Frank Hornstein has supported guidance from the National Transportation Safety Board that recommends hazardous oil cargo be routed away from population centers, and criticized the Trump administration for rolling back regulations.

Frank Hornstein has raised concern over running freight trains through light-rail corridors.

Frank Hornstein has supported increasing bus-rapid-transit projects, including the Orange Line, which would run from downtown Minneapolis to Burnsville.

Frank Hornstein has supported reforms to the Metropolitan Council, a regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization, including instituting direct elections for members instead of gubernatorial appointment.

Frank Hornstein has criticized the council for lacking transparency, public input, and adequate environmental reviews, for cost overruns, and for its handling of the Southwest Light Rail project; he supported audits of the council's performance and legislation to transfer the project to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Frank Hornstein has opposed privatization of government services and growing corporate money influence in politics.

Frank Hornstein has introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, and supports a $15 an hour minimum wage.

Frank Hornstein supported legislation that would ban the sale of semi-automatic assault rifles.

Frank Hornstein criticized the Trump administration's attempts to end the DACA program for young immigrants.

Frank Hornstein visited the Texas border in 2018 and spoke out against the administration's family separation policy.

Frank Hornstein was part of a bipartisan delegation to Cuba in 2015, and said that he supported future economic ties with the country.

Frank Hornstein has spoken out against increasing hate crimes against Jewish, Muslim, Asian, and LGBTQ Americans, and authored legislation that would require the Attorney General's office to review hate-crime laws.

Frank Hornstein authored legislation requiring increased training for police in dealing with bias-motivated crimes, and allowing community groups to file hate crime reports.

Frank Hornstein authored legislation to require Holocaust and genocide education in middle and high school education.

Frank Hornstein authored legislation in the House likened to the Green New Deal.

Frank Hornstein has supported legislation to set 100 percent renewable energy goals in the state, and bills to increase recycling goals in the metro area.

Frank Hornstein has called for oil refineries to stop using hydrogen fluoride, calling it unsafe, and criticized the Enbridge Line 4 pipeline.

Frank Hornstein attended the 2021 United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Frank Hornstein, who is Jewish, is married to Marcia Zimmerman, chief rabbi at Temple Israel in Minneapolis.