Rep. Joe Schomacker

Maddy summaryHF 3 amends Minnesota's human services laws to update aging services, disability support, health care, and homelessness programs. Its key provision requires the state board to investigate nursing home wages and working conditions in specific areas, aiming to establish minimum employment standards that meet or exceed industry norms for most workers by January 2025. The bill directly affects nursing home workers, facilities, and related service providers across Minnesota. It also includes technical updates to various statutes and establishes reporting requirements for multiple human services programs, though specific funding amounts are not detailed in the provided text.

Maddy summaryHF 2115 amends multiple Minnesota statutes to update human services programs, primarily affecting adults with disabilities receiving day services and behavioral health care. Key provisions include requiring the commissioner to establish statewide rate-setting methodology for day training and habilitation services (effective January 2026), ensuring transparency and equity across providers, and clarifying commissioner duties for overseeing day services programs (effective July 2025). The bill also creates a new intermediate school district behavioral health grant program and updates licensing requirements for human services providers. These changes directly impact service providers, state agencies administering programs, and individuals receiving aging/disability services and behavioral health support.

Maddy summaryHF 2434 modifies Minnesota's human services funding and delivery systems. It establishes a phased-in "patient driven payment model" for healthcare services, creates the Minnesota Caregiver Defined Contribution Retirement Fund Trust, and requires recovery residence certification. The bill also includes specific rules for nursing home bed replacements (e.g., allowing facility repairs after disasters if insurance proceeds cover costs and bed numbers stay the same). These changes directly affect older adults, disability service providers, healthcare facilities, and caregivers by altering payment structures, retirement benefits, and facility certification requirements.

Maddy summaryHF 1925 creates Minnesota's participation in the Nurse Licensure Compact, allowing registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) licensed in Minnesota to practice in other participating states without obtaining separate licenses. The bill establishes a "multistate license" issued by Minnesota that authorizes practice across all compact states, requiring nurses to meet Minnesota's licensing standards (including NCLEX exams, education requirements, and English proficiency if needed). It also mandates sharing disciplinary information between states to maintain safety standards. This directly affects Minnesota nurses seeking to work in other compact states and simplifies interstate practice for healthcare providers.

Maddy summaryHF 1675 requires Minnesota's medical assistance programs to individually price phototherapy lights (devices used for medical treatments like neonatal jaundice) rather than applying a single rate to all such equipment. This change applies to services provided on or after July 1, 2015, and affects providers billing the state for these devices. The bill specifies that individual pricing applies to phototherapy lights as a distinct category of durable medical equipment, excluding items covered under volume purchase contracts or certain Medicare-related programs. This is a technical adjustment to Minnesota Statutes section 256B.766, focusing on reimbursement accuracy for this specific medical device.

Maddy summaryHF 382 modifies how Minnesota calculates wage rates for staff in disability waiver programs, directly affecting providers serving people with disabilities and their employees. The bill establishes new percentage-based formulas using median wages for specific job titles (e.g., 15% of home health aide wages + 30% of nursing assistant wages for residential direct care staff) instead of previous calculations. It affects 17 staff categories including residential care, employment support, and positive supports roles. The changes take effect January 1, 2026, or after federal approval, and amend Minnesota Statutes 256B.4914.

Maddy summaryHF 3266 prohibits Minnesota state agencies, local governments, and private entities from using automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) aviation tracking data to calculate or collect fees from aircraft owners or operators. ADS-B is the technology aircraft use to broadcast location data to air traffic control and other aircraft. The bill amends Minnesota law to explicitly ban this specific use of the data for fee collection within Minnesota airspace. This directly affects aircraft owners and operators who might otherwise face fees based on their flight data. The law takes effect immediately after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $342,000 from the general fund for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to the Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council. It directly provides funding to support the council's operations under Minnesota Statutes section 256.4835. The funding mechanism is a straightforward annual appropriation for the council's existing statutory purpose, with no new program requirements or eligibility changes. The bill affects the council and the rare disease community it serves by ensuring ongoing financial support for its advisory work.

Maddy summaryHF 1883 establishes requirements for central service technicians working in Minnesota hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. It mandates that these technicians must either hold a nationally accredited credential (like a Certified Registered Central Service Technician) or have been employed before December 31, 2027. Facilities must ensure technicians complete 10 hours of annual continuing education related to their role, and technicians without credentials have 18 months from hire to obtain one. The bill directly affects healthcare facilities and their central service staff, while allowing health care practitioners and supervised students to perform these tasks under specific conditions.

Maddy summaryHF 3154 appropriates $200,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $200,000 for fiscal year 2027 from the general fund to provide grants to the Rural Policy and Development Center. The funds are allocated through the commissioner of agriculture under Minnesota Statutes section 116J.421. This bill directly affects the Rural Policy and Development Center by providing dedicated funding for its operations and grant programs in Minnesota.