Representative Peter Fischer Contact information

Peter Fischer

Born on June 21, 1958, Peter Fischer is an American politician who has been serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2013. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) and represents District 44A in the central Twin Cities metropolitan area. This district includes the cities of Maplewood, Little Canada, and North St. Paul, and parts of Ramsey County.

Early Life and Education

Fischer was raised in Maplewood, Minnesota. He attended Lakewood Community College, graduating with an A.A., and later the University of St. Thomas, graduating with a B.A. in business administration. Fischer served in the Maplewood government on the Parks Commission and the Human Relations Commission. He also works in the finance division of Face to Face, a nonprofit organization serving housing insecure youth in St. Paul.

Political Career

Fischer was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2012 and has been reelected every two years since. He first ran in an open seat created after legislative redistricting. Fischer chairs the Human Services Policy Committee and also sits on the Human Services Finance, Health Finance and Policy, and the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committees. He chaired the Water Division from 2019 to 2020 and the Behavioral Health Division from 2021 to 2022.

Environment and Natural Resources

Fischer authored legislation to ban the wolf hunt in Minnesota. The measure was included in an amendment to a 2019 omnibus environment bill after contentious debate and bipartisan votes for and against. The provision was not taken up by the Republican controlled Senate and did not become law. Fischer authored legislation to limit “body-grip” style hunting traps because they inadvertently kill hunting dogs and other pets. He introduced bills that would ban the sale and use of lead fishing equipment in order to protect native swans, eagles and other wildlife.

Water Quality Issues

Fischer wrote legislation that created a Legislative Water Commission, and served as its co-chair until it was discontinued in 2019. As chair of the Water Division, he carried legislation to protect groundwater, including monitoring private wells. He has supported a ban on trichloroethylene after state regulators found a manufacturer in White Bear Lake was illegally polluting for more than a decade.

Personal Life

On a personal note, Fischer has been married for over 30 years to his wife Kristi. They have three children: Emily, a probation officer; Hannah, a Geotech engineer; and Peter, a Fire Captain Paramedic in the Cottage Grove Fire Department.