This bill clarifies how courts publish notices and modifies several legal procedures in Minnesota, including changes to restitution rules, conciliation court jurisdiction, juror data collection, and no-fault arbitration thresholds. It expands the amount eligible for mandatory binding arbitration from $10,000 to $20,000 and updates how certain personal data, such as race and ethnicity information, is shared with the judicial branch for jury selection purposes. The legislation also allows district courts to publish their own notices online and adjusts the conciliation court's monetary limits for handling civil claims. Additionally, it clarifies how Social Security numbers and other sensitive driver data are shared with specific government agencies and modifies the expiration date for the Supreme Court Council on Child Protection.
This Minnesota bill requires large social media platforms to implement specific protections for children under 18, including restrictions on addictive design features like infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, and personalized feeds. The law applies to platforms that earn at least $1 billion in annual advertising revenue and defines "addictive interface features" in detail, such as push notifications and metrics showing likes or follower counts. Parents of children under 15 must receive clear notifications about their child's online activity, and platforms must provide tools for parents to manage their child's account settings. The bill also establishes enforcement mechanisms and sets up a new chapter in Minnesota statutes to govern these requirements.
This bill creates a legal process in Minnesota that allows victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault to remove a perpetrator's ownership interest from a contract for deed on residential property. The law enables unmarried victims who share an interest in such contracts to petition a court to extinguish the perpetrator's claim, provided they submit proof of abuse such as a protection order, law enforcement documentation, or a verified statement from a qualified professional like a healthcare provider or domestic abuse advocate. Once the petition is filed, the perpetrator and property seller have 90 days to contest the request, after which a court may issue an order removing the perpetrator's interest from the property agreement. The legislation directly affects victims of abuse who hold shared ownership in contracts for deed and their abusive partners, offering a streamlined path to secure housing without the perpetrator's involvement.
This bill (SF 3637) clarifies that optometrists, like physicians, may issue prescriptions authorizing medical window tinting for vehicles. It amends Minnesota law to allow prescriptions specifying medical needs (e.g., light sensitivity), including required details like the minimum light transmittance percentage, temporary/permanent status, and a two-year expiration. This directly affects drivers who require medically necessary window tinting for health conditions. The change ensures optometrists can legally support such prescriptions, aligning with existing medical exemption rules for vehicle windows.
HF 3718 amends Minnesota's veterinary medicine statutes by adding and updating key definitions. It creates a new definition for "accredited program of veterinary technology" (requiring AVMA-CVTEA accreditation) and expands "animal" to include fish and reptiles (removing poultry exclusions). The bill also adds definitions for terms like "consulting," "consent," "dispensing," "donor," "emergency stabilization," and "extra-label use" to clarify veterinary practice standards. These changes primarily affect licensed veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary practices by standardizing terminology in the state's regulatory framework. The bill does not impose new practice requirements but refines existing legal definitions.
This bill modifies Minnesota's student aid and higher education policies to better support parenting students and American Indian scholars. It expands eligibility for the American Indian Scholars program to include enrolled members of Minnesota Tribal Nations regardless of their resident tuition status, while maintaining requirements for undergraduate enrollment and academic progress. The legislation also establishes new protections for parenting students by prohibiting colleges from requiring them to withdraw, change majors, or face penalties due to their parental status, and mandates reasonable accommodations such as excused absences for childcare needs. Additionally, the bill requires postsecondary institutions to provide early course registration access to pregnant and parenting students and to offer leave policies comparable to those for temporary medical conditions.
This bill modifies deadlines for professional development training related to Minnesota's Read Act. It requires school districts to provide evidence-based training to specific educators by July 1, 2026 (including K-3 classroom teachers and reading intervention staff) and by July 1, 2027 (for grades 4-12 reading teachers). The bill also allows districts to reduce elementary students' instructional hours by 5.5 hours during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years if teachers receive required training on days when other students are learning. This change applies to all public and charter schools meeting the training agreement requirements.
This bill modifies Minnesota laws regarding assisted living facilities and fee awards in state proceedings. It raises the revenue threshold for small businesses eligible to receive fees and expenses in certain legal actions from $7 million to $13.5 million. The legislation requires assisted living facilities to provide residents with a 24/7 means to request health and safety assistance, though this requirement does not apply to residents with moderate to severe cognitive impairment who cannot reliably use alerting devices. Additionally, the bill exempts assisted living facilities from the provider tax and updates the definition of health care provider for state purposes.
This bill strengthens protections for crime victims in Minnesota by requiring judges to confirm that victims have been informed about plea and sentencing hearings, and by expanding rules to keep minor victims anonymous in certain legal documents. It mandates that prosecutors notify victims about plea agreements and their right to object before plea hearings proceed, while also clarifying what information about victims must be included or excluded in petitions for sentence adjustments. The legislation further extends protections against employer retaliation for stalking victims and broadens the circumstances under which victims are notified when a defendant becomes eligible for automatic expungement of their criminal record. These changes affect prosecutors, judges, victims, and their employers by establishing clearer notification requirements and privacy safeguards throughout the criminal justice process.
This bill updates Minnesota consumer protection laws by adding definitions for financial entities, banning unstaffed virtual currency kiosks by January 2027, and requiring operators to refund customers or provide alternative access methods by December 2026. It also establishes new standards for mortgage loan servicing, including provisions for borrower representatives and clear disclosure requirements, while adding student loan protections and requiring certain notices to the commissioner of commerce. The legislation directly affects insurance companies, financial institutions, mortgage servicers, virtual currency businesses, and consumers using these services.
This bill creates a permanent Commanders Task Force to advise Minnesota's governor, legislature, and Department of Veterans Affairs on issues affecting veterans and their families. The task force will be made up of elected leaders from eight specific veteran service organizations operating in Minnesota, including the American Legion, VFW, and Disabled American Veterans. Members will meet regularly, elect their own leadership, and serve as a communication bridge between state government and veteran organizations without receiving state compensation. The group will focus on providing recommendations related to veterans' services and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
This bill adjusts funding forecasts for Minnesota's public school programs from prekindergarten through grade 12, updating the amounts the state expects to spend in 2026 and 2027. It directly affects school districts and the state education finance system by changing the projected allocations for general education aid, abatement aid, career and technical aid, and other specific funding categories. The bill amends existing state laws to reflect revised dollar amounts for each program, replacing previous estimates with new figures based on current financial projections. These changes ensure the state's education budget forecasts align with updated revenue and expenditure expectations for the upcoming fiscal years.
