Legislative Work Moves Forward
This week felt much more familiar at the Minnesota State Capitol as all 201 legislators participated in floor sessions and committee hearings. In the House of Representatives, a substantial portion of the committee agendas were dedicated to reviewing agency and budget overviews as committees began the process of working through Gov. Walz’ 2026-27 budget recommendations. In the Senate, committees began considering a broad variety of legislative proposals, including legislation to legalize sports gambling, limit or prohibit billboards, reform human services programs for individuals with disabilities, and prohibit cell phones in schools.
House Fraud Committee Formed; Anti-Fraud Legislation Introduced
Part of the deal to end the House stalemate was the creation of the House Committee on Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy. This new committee is chaired by Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove), and has a majority of Republican members, with a 5-3 vote. The committee has been charged with examining state agency’s ability to oversee state funds and ensure outside organizations, particularly nonprofits, are using funds for their intended purposes. The committee will likely focus on some of the higher profile instances of fraud that have been reported in recent months.
At its first meeting last Monday, the committee listened to a presentation from the State Auditor’s findings on grant funding to state agencies where they found inconsistencies within the system with how the grants were tracked, reported, and used. The goal is to get a system in place that will ensure all state taxpayer dollars are used in the best, most useful way, and to weed out any bad actors.
Other Key Bills Moving Through Committee
Here are some of the more high-profile proposals advancing through the committee process this past week:
- S.F. 485 (Marty) Statewide Moratorium on New Billboards: S.F. 485 would impose a statewide moratorium on new billboards from being established. The bill would permit existing billboards to remain standing but would allow cities and counties to phase them out if they choose. In presenting the proposal, Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville) argued that the billboards detract from the state’s natural scenic beauty and pose a hazard to motorists. Opponents argue that this proposal would hurt local companies and small businesses and inhibit first amendment rights. S.F. 485 was heard last Wednesday in the Senate Transportation Committee and laid on the table.
- S.F. 856 (Gustafson) Creation of the Office of the Inspector General: S.F. 856 is a bi-partisan bill creating an Office of the Inspector General that would operate independently from state agencies and report directly to the chief administrative law judge. The goal of this new office would be to handle all fraud, waste, and abuse issues related to state government programs. The bill was heard in and passed out of the Senate State and Local Government Committee this week and re-referred to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
- H.F. 5 (Joy) Tax Related Modifications: This proposal would make a variety of changes to the state’s tax code. Specifically, it would repeal the retail delivery fee, repeal indexing of the gas tax to inflation, change the county state highway aid formula, and change the large and small cities aid formula. H.F. 5 was heard in the House Transportation Committee, with a long list of testifiers both in support and opposition to the bill. During committee, it was noted that more work needed to be done, but the bill passed and was sent to the House Taxes Committee.
- H.F. 9 (Swedzinski) / S.F. 572 (Matthews), Nuclear Moratorium Repeal: This proposal would revise several provisions in state law regarding the use of renewable energy sources and lift the state’s moratorium on construction of nuclear power plants. The bill was heard in the House Energy Committee, with a long list of testifiers both in support and opposition to the bill. It ultimately passed on a party line vote of 8-7 and was sent to the House Taxes Committee.
Important Dates to Remember
March 6, 2025 Updated Budget Forecast Released
March 11, 2025 HD 40B Special Election
March 29, 2025 Eid break Begins
April 1, 2025 Legislature Resumes
April 11, 2025 Easter/Passover Break Begins
April 21, 2025 Legislature Resumes at 12:00 PM
May 19, 2025 Constitutional Deadline to Adjourn Legislative Session
