This bill allocates $100,000 from the state's general fund in fiscal year 2027 to support maintenance and repairs for courtesy vehicles and shuttles at small airports. The funding is designated as a one-time appropriation and is available only to airports located outside metropolitan counties that are classified as intermediate airports or landing strips. The commissioner of transportation must distribute these grants with a focus on prioritizing small airports and ensuring regional balance across the state.
This bill updates training requirements for child care providers in Minnesota to include interactive instruction on abusive head trauma prevention. It directly affects directors, staff, substitutes, and volunteers working with children under school age, requiring them to complete at least 30 minutes of hands-on training annually. The training must cover shaking risks, prevention methods, and communication with parents about reducing abuse risks, and cannot consist only of reading or watching materials. The changes also allow this training to count toward existing annual in-service requirements and become effective on January 1, 2027.
This bill modifies Minnesota's requirements for marriage and family therapists to obtain a license through reciprocity with other states. It allows the state board to issue licenses to out-of-state therapists who meet specific criteria, including holding a current unrestricted license in their home jurisdiction, maintaining good standing without disciplinary actions, having no disqualifying criminal convictions, and passing a Minnesota jurisprudence examination. The legislation updates Minnesota Statutes 148B.35 to establish these new conditions for obtaining a license through reciprocity rather than completing the full Minnesota licensure process.
This bill modifies Minnesota's child care training requirements to mandate that directors, staff, substitutes, and unsupervised volunteers receive annual training on abusive head trauma prevention. The training must be at least 30 minutes long and cover risk factors related to shaking infants and young children, ways to reduce such risks, and communication with parents. Additionally, child care license holders must display a commissioner-approved poster with abusive head trauma prevention information in visible areas for staff and visitors. The changes apply to all child care centers caring for children under school age and will take effect on January 1, 2027.
This bill appropriates $5 million from the state's general fund to provide a one-time grant for capital improvements to the nursing home operated by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. The funds are designated for fiscal year 2027 and will be administered by the commissioner of human services, with the money available until fully spent. This legislation directly affects the Red Lake Nation by allocating state resources to upgrade their nursing home facilities. The bill follows standard procedures for capital investment appropriations in Minnesota.
This bill authorizes the issuance of up to $4.3 million in state bonds to fund improvements at the intersection of Trunk Highway 65 and Bunker Lake Boulevard Northeast in Ham Lake, Minnesota. The funds will be used for engineering, environmental studies, design, land acquisition, and construction of the road interchange and associated frontage and backage roads. The project is specifically designated for the portion eligible to be funded with general obligation bond proceeds, and the state does not require a nonstate contribution. The commissioner of transportation will oversee the project, while the commissioner of management and budget will handle the bond sale and issuance process.
This bill requires individuals who own firearms in Minnesota to purchase and maintain liability insurance that covers damages from negligent or accidental discharge, with a minimum coverage of $250,000 per occurrence. The law applies to all firearm owners starting January 1, 2027, with existing owners given until February 15, 2027, to comply, while exempting law enforcement and active duty military personnel acting in official duties. Insurance companies must collect a surcharge on firearm liability premiums, which will be deposited into a gun harm reduction account. Violations of the insurance requirement are classified as misdemeanors, with repeat offenses punishable as gross misdemeanors and fines of at least $1,000.
This bill allocates $16.5 million from the trunk highway fund to improve the interchange between Trunk Highway 65 and Bunker Lake Boulevard Northeast in Ham Lake. The funding will cover preliminary engineering, environmental studies, final design, land acquisition, and construction of the intersection improvements along with associated frontage and backage roads. The money is designated for fiscal year 2027 and remains available until June 30, 2031, with the commissioner of transportation responsible for managing the project. This one-time appropriation directly benefits Anoka County and the City of Ham Lake by enhancing transportation infrastructure in the area.
This bill would exempt local governments from paying sales tax on certain purchases, specifically motor vehicle leases and construction materials bought by contractors or subcontractors. The exemption applies to cities, counties, townships, special districts, and other local government entities starting after June 30, 2026. Currently, local governments must pay sales tax on these items when contractors purchase them on their behalf, but this legislation would remove that requirement. The change would only affect sales and purchases made after the specified effective date, with no impact on prior transactions.
This bill modifies Minnesota's special education teacher pathway program to also include related services providers such as school counselors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and speech-language pathologists. It allows school districts and other educational entities to apply for grants to support these professionals in obtaining Tier 3 licensure through partnerships with accredited teacher preparation programs or colleges. Grant funds can be used for tuition assistance, stipends, mentoring, licensure test preparation, and recruitment, with priority given to helping current Tier 1 or Tier 2 licensed educators advance to Tier 3 status. The program requires annual reporting on participant numbers and fund usage, and includes provisions for equitable distribution of grants between greater Minnesota and metropolitan areas.
This bill clarifies when college and university employees in Minnesota can use past wages to qualify for unemployment benefits during breaks between academic terms. It allows wage credits to be used if there is no reasonable assurance of returning to work, but restricts this for instructional, research, or administrative staff unless they have a written job offer or a contract guaranteeing 50% pay if rehiring doesn't occur. The law also defines which types of employment count as reasonable assurance and specifies that on-call work is treated differently than regular employment. These changes apply to employees at schools, colleges, universities, and related educational service agencies starting July 1, 2026.
This bill requires the Environmental Quality Board to update state rules so that building data centers must include an environmental impact statement. The provision directly affects developers and operators of data centers, including large-scale facilities, by mandating environmental reviews before construction begins. The bill allows the board to use a streamlined rulemaking process to implement this requirement without following standard procedures. This change ensures that potential environmental effects of data center construction are formally assessed and documented.
