HF 4 Minnesota House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Budget surplus return to state taxpayers provided, and constitutional amendment proposed.

HF 4 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring Minnesota to return budget surplus funds to taxpayers. If approved, it would create a "Minnesota tax relief account" funded by revenue exceeding 105% of projected spending, using those funds to refund or reduce property and income taxes. Taxpayers would receive direct refunds or tax reductions, but only up to the amount they owe in taxes, with the account funded annually from the state's general fund surplus. The amendment must be voted on by voters in the 2026 general election.

Issues: ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill status failed 2 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Failed

Mar 2025

Governor

Introduced Feb 6, 2025 Last action Mar 17, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

2nd Engrossment → 3rd Engrossment · 3 edits · Mar 20, 2025

MINOR

The bill was advanced from the 2nd to the 3rd Engrossment, updating the official title and posting date. The most significant change is the addition of an income threshold to the ballot question, limiting the proposed tax relief fund to taxpayers with incomes under $1,000,000. This change also restricts refunds and tax reductions to only those taxpayers whose liability does not exceed this income limit.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from applying to all state taxpayers to specifically targeting only taxpayers with incomes less than $1,000,000.

ELIGIBILITY

Added an income threshold of $1,000,000 to the ballot question, limiting the proposed constitutional amendment to taxpayers earning less than this amount.

Restricted the use of tax relief fund money to provide refunds or offsets only to taxpayers whose income was under $1,000,000 in the year the refund was issued.

REQUIREMENT

Added a specific prohibition against providing refunds or tax reductions to any taxpayer whose income exceeded $1,000,000 in the relevant tax year.

Floor votes · House Mar 17, 2025

How they voted

67–66

Failed

Total votes 133

Mar 17, 2025

D Democratic66

66 Nay

100% Nay

R Republican67

67 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 17, 2025

Lower · Passed

Amended

lower

Mar 17, 2025

Introduced

Amendments offered

lower

Mar 17, 2025

Vote failed

House Vote: fail (67-66)

house

Mar 10, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt as amended

lower

Mar 6, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt and re-refer to Ways and Means

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to Rules and Legislative Administration

lower

Feb 6, 2025

Introduced

Introduction and first reading, referred to Taxes

lower

1 primary · 30 co-sponsors