This bill allocates $2 million each for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to fund the Lawns to Legumes program in Minnesota. The money will come from the state's general fund and be given to the Board of Water and Soil Resources to support the initiative. The program encourages landowners to replace grass lawns with legumes, which are plants that naturally enrich the soil and reduce the need for fertilizers. By providing this funding, the state aims to help implement the program's goals without changing the underlying rules or regulations.
This bill modifies the registration surcharges for all-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Minnesota. It establishes a new $75 fee for all-electric vehicles and removes the existing surcharge for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The changes take effect for vehicle registration periods beginning on or after January 1, 2027. All revenue collected from these fees will be deposited into the highway user tax distribution fund.
This bill allows the state, counties, or municipalities in Minnesota to use eminent domain to take property owned by public utilities or electric cooperatives. It clarifies that while these entities can acquire the physical property, they cannot immediately gain the right to provide electric service during the legal process. The law also specifies that compensation paid to the utility must include the original cost of the property adjusted for depreciation, lost revenue, and other related expenses. This change directly affects government bodies planning infrastructure projects and the utility companies that might have their land taken for those purposes.
Adopted
This Senate resolution honors the lives and public service of seven deceased Minnesota Senators by formally recognizing their contributions to the state. The bill directly affects the families of these individuals, specifically Bruce D. Anderson, Don Samuelson, Kari Dziedzic, James Ulland, Alice M. Johnson, Bob Kierlin, and Ray Vandeveer, by directing the Secretary of the Senate to send copies of the resolution to their relatives. It serves as a commemorative measure that acknowledges the dedication of these former officials and expresses gratitude for their work in government.
This bill requires pharmaceutical manufacturers in Minnesota to add back certain direct-to-consumer advertising expenses when calculating their state income and franchise taxes. It specifically targets marketing costs for prescription drugs and biologics that are directed at consumers through media channels like television, radio, print, and social media. The legislation does not change how these companies deduct these costs for federal tax purposes but instead prevents them from using those same deductions to lower their Minnesota tax liability. These changes will take effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2026.
HF 4980 modifies how Minnesota calculates and distributes compensatory education funding for school buildings in fiscal years 2027 and 2028. The bill changes the revenue formula to be based on the number of compensatory pupils rather than a fixed allowance per pupil and introduces a minimum funding floor for the 2027 school year. It also increases the percentage of funds school districts can reallocate to specific sites from 20 percent to 40 percent for these two years. Finally, the legislation appropriates money from the general fund to the commissioner of education to support these changes.
HF 4972 prohibits law enforcement from making civil immigration arrests against individuals attending court proceedings, including parties, witnesses, and their supporters like family members or translators. The law defines a 'civil arrest' as taking someone into custody for immigration violations and grants these individuals protection while traveling to, being at, and leaving court buildings or locations within 1,000 feet of them. This protection applies to all types of court matters, including civil, criminal, and administrative cases, and remains in effect regardless of whether a judge issues a specific order enforcing it.
This bill proposes reducing state financial aid by 10% for any Minnesota county or city that displays a state flag different from the officially certified design. To enforce this, the state's commissioner of revenue would cut aid payments for the year following any instance where a local government uses the incorrect flag, and affected localities must notify the commissioner annually by December 31. The penalty applies specifically to aid distributed under state statutes and would only take effect starting with payments made in 2027.
This bill establishes a process for state agencies to temporarily withhold payments from program participants suspected of committing fraud. It directly affects individuals and organizations receiving state or federal funds, requiring agencies to provide written notice at least 24 hours before withholding payments and outlining the reasons for the decision. The bill defines fraud as intentional deception to obtain benefits and sets a maximum withholding period of 60 days, while also protecting data related to fraud investigations and allowing recipients to appeal the decision through existing legal procedures.
This bill expands survivor benefits for public safety officers in Minnesota by including deaths caused by exposure-related cancers as "killed in the line of duty." It directly affects families of public safety officers who develop specific cancers linked to carcinogens encountered during their work. The legislation defines exposure-related cancer to include 21 types such as lung, bladder, and leukemia cancers, and establishes criteria requiring exposure to occur while on duty, a minimum five-year service period before diagnosis, and a maximum 15-year window between last active service and cancer diagnosis. The bill also creates a legal presumption that these cancers directly resulted from occupational exposure unless medical evidence proves otherwise, and sets up a review process to update the list of covered cancers every three years.
This bill strengthens Minnesota's regulations on the handling of infectious or pathological waste by requiring immediate notification when such waste is mistakenly sent to unapproved facilities, mandating unannounced inspections of waste generators, and establishing significant financial penalties for violations. Facilities that receive infectious waste must report the incident to state officials with details about the waste and its source, while generators must conduct annual internal audits to ensure compliance with management plans. Penalties for unlawful transport start at $200,000 for a first offense and increase to up to $2 million for subsequent violations, with half of collected fines directed to the facility that received the waste. The legislation also allocates $50,000 to create training materials for proper waste management and disposal practices.
