Rep. Ron Kresha

Maddy summaryHF 921 clarifies how Minnesota school districts adjust state aid and property tax levy limits when they receive excess funds from tax increment financing (TIF) districts. The bill requires districts to subtract a specific amount from their current year aid and levy limits if they receive over $25,000 in excess TIF payments during a calendar year. This adjustment is calculated by multiplying the excess payment by a ratio based on the district’s certified levy amounts from previous years. The bill ensures districts use the excess TIF funds to replace the reduced state aid and levy revenue, preventing double-counting of funds. It directly affects school districts that receive TIF excess payments exceeding $25,000 annually.

Maddy summaryHF 840 removes burial fees at Minnesota state veterans cemeteries for spouses and dependent children of eligible veterans. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 197.236, subdivision 9, to eliminate the requirement for fees on these family members, ensuring they can be buried without cost. This directly affects spouses and dependents of veterans who qualify for state veterans cemetery benefits under current law. The change applies to all eligible veterans' families, not just those who are indigent, and updates the fee schedule provisions to reflect this policy shift.

Maddy summaryHF 2157 forgives all outstanding loans issued under Minnesota's 2016 Lake Mille Lacs area economic relief program. The bill requires the state commissioner of employment and economic development to ask Mille Lacs County to forgive these loans, which were originally issued to businesses or individuals in the Lake Mille Lacs area. It amends the 2016 law to make the forgiveness effective retroactively from June 30, 2018, the program's original expiration date. This directly affects borrowers who received loans under the program and Mille Lacs County, which administered the loans.

Maddy summaryHF 2158 allows volunteer emergency services providers in Minnesota (such as volunteer firefighters and paramedics with at least three years of service) to purchase up to four tires for their personal vehicles every three years through their municipality's existing tire contracts. The volunteer must pay for the tires, including all taxes and fees, and the municipality must provide written authorization detailing the provider's service history, vehicle license plate, and reference to the contract. This applies only to volunteers currently serving their municipality or fire department and does not change their service requirements. The bill creates a specific process for municipalities to document these purchases under existing procurement agreements.

Maddy summaryHF 2156 repeals a Minnesota statute that allowed town boards to decide whether to maintain town roads abandoned for 25 years or more. This change removes a specific exception that previously prevented certain general road maintenance rules from applying to these abandoned roads. Town boards and voters will no longer have this option to bypass standard maintenance procedures for roads that haven't been maintained for a quarter-century. The bill directly affects local town governance by eliminating this administrative provision regarding road maintenance obligations.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new funding program called "general education disparity aid" to support Minnesota school districts with lower per-student revenue. It calculates aid based on the difference between a district's revenue per student and the 20th percentile of all districts, multiplied by the district's adjusted student enrollment. The program begins in fiscal year 2026 and appropriates funds for 2026 and 2027 to provide this targeted support. It directly affects school districts with revenue below the 20th percentile benchmark, aiming to reduce funding disparities. The aid is calculated using existing revenue data from Minnesota Statutes sections 126C.10 and 126C.17.

Maddy summaryHF 779 creates a new option for Minnesota taxpayers to receive half of their education credit amount as an advance payment before filing their annual tax return. It directly affects taxpayers who qualify for the education credit, particularly those with qualifying children, by allowing early access to funds (up to $750 per child) while requiring them to certify awareness that insufficient education expenses could increase their tax liability. The bill also prohibits transferring or selling education credits to others (disallowing credit assignments) and mandates a 2027 report evaluating the feasibility of delivering these advance payments via electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards, including cost analysis and pros/cons. These changes amend Minnesota's tax code to modify how education credits are distributed and administered.

Maddy summaryHF 877 amends Minnesota's Read Act to define "evidence-based" reading instruction as science-based, explicitly excluding the three-cueing system. It requires school districts to use approved literacy screeners and intervention models, and mandates the Department of Education to develop a literacy plan template and approve evidence-based intervention models by June 2025. The bill also cancels specific appropriations related to Read Act implementation. These changes take effect July 1, 2025, directly affecting Minnesota public schools, educators, and literacy programs.

Maddy summaryHF 984 requires Minnesota school districts to provide nonpublic school students (in private or religious schools) with the same elementary and secondary guidance and counseling services as public school students. It mandates districts to offer these services upon request, with funding based on the average per-pupil spending for similar services in public schools. The bill sets limits on district spending for these services, ensuring costs don’t exceed public school averages, and requires districts to provide transportation between schools if services are offered off-site. It applies to all nonpublic schools within a district and takes effect for state aid starting fiscal year 2026.

Maddy summaryHF 1971 relieves Minnesota telephone and telecommunications carriers from the obligation to provide service in areas where the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mapped existing infrastructure for voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) services. This directly affects carriers, who no longer need to serve these mapped areas, and customers in disputed locations who can challenge the FCC mapping. The bill requires the Office of Broadband Development to resolve disputes within 15 business days: customers notify the Office, carriers must respond within 5 days, and the Office determines if the FCC mapping was accurate. If the FCC mapping is confirmed, carriers are relieved of service obligations for that location; if not, they must continue service. The bill does not override any federal service requirements.