Sen. Andrew Mathews

Maddy summarySF 1714 requires Minnesota public contracting agencies to provide detailed, timely payment notifications to all contractors and subcontractors on public improvement projects. Agencies must send written notices within three business days of any payment (including progress, retainage, or final payments), including the payment amount, date, recipient details, scope of work, and reasons for any withholding. These notifications must be provided to every tier of contractors and subcontractors at no cost, ensuring transparency about how and when payments are made. The bill directly affects state/local government agencies managing public contracts and the contractors/subcontractors working on those projects. It aims to improve payment clarity without changing payment amounts or timelines.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota family law to update how courts determine custody and parenting time, directly affecting parents and children involved in divorce or separation cases. It requires judges to evaluate specific factors such as a child's needs, any history of domestic abuse, and each parent's ability to nurture the child, while explicitly stating that a parent's gender or disability alone cannot decide custody. The legislation establishes a rebuttable presumption that joint legal and physical custody is in the child's best interest unless domestic abuse has occurred, and it mandates that courts make detailed findings for each factor considered. Additionally, the bill clarifies that parenting time does not require an equal division of time and prohibits courts from considering a parent's military deployment status when assessing the child's best interests.

Maddy summaryHF 3682 requires Minnesota's commissioner of management and budget to establish a grantee fraud risk rating system for state agencies administering grants, based on vendor risk management principles. This system will set specific grants management requirements for agencies, directly affecting all state executive agencies that distribute or manage grant funds. The bill mandates the commissioner to create centralized policies, serve as a point of contact for grants management, oversee technology systems, and provide a single public listing of grant opportunities and recipients. It also authorizes the commissioner to approve exceptions to these policies for specific programs, with exceptions expiring after five years. The law aims to standardize fraud prevention and improve oversight across all state grant programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes moving Minnesota's state primary election from August to March and updates the rules for how political parties nominate candidates for legislative and congressional offices. It establishes new requirements for campaign finance reporting, mandating that committees file specific reports at set intervals before primary and general elections, with different schedules depending on the type of office being contested. The legislation also expands reporting obligations for local elections and certain non-general election years to include entities that spend more than $200 on influencing nominations, independent expenditures, or ballot measures. These changes are designed to modernize the election process and increase transparency in campaign financing, taking effect on January 1, 2028.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the state to issue up to $2,791,000 in bonds to fund infrastructure improvements for the City of Cambridge along Trunk Highway 95. The funds will be used for specific projects such as traffic signals, street lighting, and various sewer and water systems as part of a highway reconstruction effort. The Commissioner of Management and Budget is directed to sell and issue these state bonds to provide the necessary money for the grant. The legislation takes effect immediately upon final enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota law to allow county boards of commissioners to enter into agreements with other government units for services that those units are authorized to provide themselves. It also grants county sheriffs the authority to sign specific agreements with federal agencies to perform certain functions without needing prior approval from the county board. These changes clarify the rules for intergovernmental cooperation while maintaining the general requirement that parties to such agreements must share common powers.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands Minnesota's Safe Schools revenue program to include charter schools, cooperative units, nonpublic schools, and Tribal contract schools, which currently receive funding only through school districts. Starting in fiscal year 2027, eligible schools will receive aid calculated at a rate of $36 per adjusted pupil unit to support specific safety initiatives. The funds must be used for designated purposes such as hiring school safety liaisons, implementing drug and gang prevention programs, enhancing physical security, providing licensed mental health support, and upgrading cybersecurity. The legislation also clarifies how school districts within cooperative units can contribute to these safety efforts and sets reporting requirements for nonpublic schools to receive the new aid.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates new criminal penalties for bribing or corruptly influencing jurors in Minnesota courts. It directly affects individuals who attempt to sway a juror's vote or position through offers of benefits or rewards, as well as jurors who accept such offers. The law defines two main offenses: offering or promising a benefit to influence a juror, and a juror requesting or accepting a benefit to influence their decision. Both acts are classified as felonies punishable by up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000, or both. Additionally, the bill amends an existing statute to increase the penalty for corruptly influencing a juror to match the new bribery provisions, raising the maximum sentence from five years to ten years and the fine from $10,000 to $20,000. These changes will take effect on August 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes the existing ban on conversion therapy for minors and vulnerable adults in Minnesota, allowing mental health practitioners to offer such services to these groups again. The legislation repeals the specific statutes that previously prohibited mental health professionals from attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity with clients under 18 or those classified as vulnerable adults. While the bill eliminates the prohibition, it retains the legal definition of conversion therapy, which excludes counseling that supports gender transition or provides acceptance and coping strategies without seeking to alter sexual orientation or gender identity.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires that cement, concrete, and steel used in state-funded infrastructure, transportation, housing, and public facility projects be manufactured in the United States. The law applies to all procurement contracts authorized after its enactment and defines "made in the United States" as materials where foreign components cost less than five percent of the total. Agencies may grant waivers if such materials are unavailable, would increase project costs by more than 25 percent, or are needed for an emergency, with all waivers published online within 30 days. Additionally, the bill directs state officials to provide guidance on these requirements and update policies to offer a bid preference to projects committing to using products made in Minnesota.