Rep. Jimmy Gordon

Maddy summaryHF 1494 requires voters who register on election day to cast provisional ballots instead of regular ballots. This applies to anyone registering in person at their polling place on election day, who must provide proof of residence and complete a registration application with an oath. The bill amends several election statutes to implement this change, including updating provisions about election day registration procedures. It directly affects voters registering for the first time or updating their registration on election day, ensuring their ballots are processed as provisional until verified. The bill makes technical changes to election law to align with this new requirement.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands Minnesota's sales tax exemption to include additional baby products, directly affecting parents and caregivers who purchase these items. It adds baby wipes, cribs and bassinets (including mattresses and sheets), changing tables and pads, strollers, car seats and bases, baby swings, bottle sterilizers, and infant eating utensils to the list of tax-exempt items. The exemption applies to sales and purchases made after June 30, 2025. This change removes sales tax from these specific baby products, aligning with the existing exemption for items like breast pumps and baby bottles.

Maddy summaryHF 1431 amends Minnesota law to expand the definition of "serious crime" for recall petitions against state officials. It adds that certain misdemeanors - specifically those involving assault, intentional injury, threats to safety, dishonesty, coercion, obstruction of justice, or drug offenses - now count as serious crimes. Previously, only felonies and gross misdemeanors for these offenses qualified. This change allows recall petitions to be filed for these misdemeanor offenses starting after the bill takes effect.

Maddy summaryHF 1447 amends Minnesota campaign finance law to require disclosure of donors who contribute $200 or less and live outside the district represented by a legislative candidate. Currently, small donors within a candidate's district are exempt from full disclosure; this bill eliminates that exemption for out-of-district small donors. The key provision adds these contributors to public campaign finance reports, listing their name, address, employer, and contribution amount/date. It directly affects candidates running for Minnesota House or Senate seats, increasing transparency about local campaign funding sources. The change applies to all contributions under $200 from non-local donors, regardless of the candidate's district.

Maddy summaryHF 1405 amends Minnesota campaign finance rules to require full disclosure of all contributors for legislative or statewide candidates and ballot questions. It lowers the disclosure threshold from $500 to $200 per contributor per year, mandating that campaigns report each contributor's name, address, occupation, and contribution amounts in alphabetical order. This applies directly to candidates running for state legislature or statewide offices, as well as committees supporting ballot questions. The bill changes existing reporting requirements under Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 10A.20, subdivision 3, by expanding transparency for smaller donations.

Maddy summaryHF 2 requires state agency employees to immediately report suspected fraud to law enforcement and legislative committee leaders when they have reason to believe fraud exists in agency programs. It mandates that all state agencies post current organizational charts online with contact details for leadership and division heads. The bill strengthens grant management by requiring agencies to conduct unannounced monitoring visits before final payments for grants over $50,000 (and annually for grants over $250,000), perform financial reconciliations prior to disbursement, and withhold funds from grantees failing to submit required progress reports. Violating these grant management requirements constitutes a misdemeanor under the bill.

Maddy summaryHF 1000 would allow Minnesota taxpayers to deduct all Social Security benefits from their state taxable income without income-based phaseouts. Currently, deductions for Social Security benefits decrease or disappear once income exceeds thresholds (e.g., $100,000 for joint filers). This bill removes those phaseout limits, making the deduction "unlimited" for all qualifying taxpayers. It directly affects Minnesota residents receiving Social Security benefits who file state income tax returns. The change applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

Maddy summaryHF 1432 establishes a pilot program requiring state managers in three specific departments - Corrections (supervising guards), Human Services (managing group home staff), and Transportation (overseeing road/bridge construction) - to rotate into the roles they supervise for hands-on training. The bill authorizes the commissioner of management and budget to hire private consultants to develop training materials and a phased implementation plan, with funding provided from the general fund for fiscal year 2026. Managers must complete these training shifts without reducing staff coverage, and the pilot must conclude by July 2026, with final reports due by August 2026. This policy change directly affects managerial staff in these departments, aiming to improve their understanding of frontline work through structured job rotation.

Maddy summaryHF 14 proposed a temporary moratorium on most light rail transit project development spending by the Metropolitan Council in seven Minnesota counties (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington). The bill prohibited funds for planning, design, environmental analysis, land acquisition, and construction of new light rail projects, but exempted the Southwest Light Rail (Green Line Extension) and prior contractor payments. The moratorium would have expired once the Green Line Extension began revenue operations. The bill was introduced, amended, and ultimately not passed by the legislature.

Maddy summaryHF 638 prohibits Minnesota cities, counties, townships, and school districts from adopting or enforcing ranked-choice voting (RCV) for local elections. The bill defines RCV as any system where voters rank candidates by preference, and states that any local rules conflicting with this prohibition are void. It directly affects all local governments seeking to implement RCV for local offices, preventing them from using this voting method. The law takes effect after enactment and applies to future elections. This is a policy change restricting local election method choices, not a procedural or commemorative measure.