Rep. Jimmy Gordon

Maddy summaryHF 988 requires Minnesota school districts to electronically report student fights witnessed by staff, physical assaults on staff by students, exclusions, expulsions, and pupil withdrawal agreements within 30 days. Schools must include student demographics (age, grade, gender, race, special education status) and details on disciplinary responses used. The data is aggregated by the state education department and included in annual school performance reports. This bill directly affects all public school districts in Minnesota by standardizing incident reporting requirements.

Maddy summaryHF 990 prohibits organizations receiving state funding from making campaign expenditures or spending money for political purposes. It applies to any entity, including nonprofits, that gets state funds through direct appropriations, grants, or other state funding mechanisms. The bill bans all political spending by these organizations, such as contributions to candidates or parties, and takes effect on July 1, 2025. This directly affects state-funded organizations by restricting how they can use public money. The policy change is a clear restriction on political activity for recipients of state financial support.

Maddy summaryHF 992 authorizes political party representatives, nonpartisan candidates, or resident voters (via petition) to serve as challengers at absentee and early voting locations in Minnesota. The bill expands existing rules - previously limited to in-person election day polling places - to include absentee and early voting sites, requiring challengers to prove state residency but prohibiting them from handling voter records, influencing votes, or discussing voters. It directly affects election officials, voters at early/absentee locations, and political parties seeking to monitor voting integrity. The law modifies Minnesota Statutes sections 204C.07 and 204C.12 to establish appointment procedures and conduct rules for these challengers.

Maddy summaryHF 993 requires county auditors and municipal clerks to publish the address, dates, and hours of temporary polling locations on their websites within five business days of designating them. It also mandates that the secretary of state post this same information on the state election website within five business days of receiving notice. This applies to temporary polling places established under existing law, such as those requested by federally recognized tribes for reservation voting or by colleges with 100+ on-campus students. The bill adds a public notice requirement to existing provisions without changing eligibility for temporary locations.

Maddy summaryHF 986 classifies specific voter registration data as private, directly affecting Minnesota voters and anyone requesting voter information. The bill amends Minnesota law to reclassify a voter’s date of birth, driver’s license number, Social Security number (or parts of it), military ID, or passport number as private data under Section 201.022, subdivision 4. It also requires voters to submit a signed statement for name withholding due to safety concerns and mandates written assurances from data requesters that information won’t be used for non-election purposes. These changes update existing voter data rules to limit public access to sensitive identifiers while maintaining public access to basic registration details like name, address, and voting history.

Maddy summaryHF 991 prohibits Minnesota counties, municipalities, and school districts from accepting contributions from for-profit businesses or nonprofits intended to cover election expenses, such as costs for federal, state, or local elections. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes to explicitly ban these contributions, overriding any local home rule charters or ordinances that might permit them. An exception applies to entities providing polling places for free or at a discount. The law takes effect the day after final enactment, directly affecting local election funding practices.

Maddy summaryHF 636 removes the requirement for a permit to carry a firearm in public places for eligible Minnesotans, while creating an optional permit system. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 624.714 to state that anyone not prohibited by state or federal law (and at least 21 years old) may carry a firearm without a permit in public places - defined as government-owned property or private property open to the public, excluding homes, businesses, gun shops, and hunting areas. An optional permit, which requires proof of pistol safety training and background checks for disqualifying offenses, remains available for those who choose it. This change directly affects eligible residents who currently need permits to carry firearms in public, eliminating that barrier while preserving the option for a permit.

Maddy summaryHF 416 amends Minnesota Statutes to lower the minimum age for applying for a permit to carry a pistol from 21 to 18 years old. The bill directly affects Minnesota residents aged 18 or older who meet other requirements, such as completing firearm safety training and passing background checks. Key provisions include updating section 624.714, subdivision 2, to reflect the new age eligibility while maintaining existing criteria for permit issuance. This change would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to apply for carry permits under the same conditions as older applicants.

Maddy summaryHF 647 amends Minnesota law to regulate new water permits from the Mt. Simon-Hinckley aquifer. It requires the commissioner to deny new permits for drinking water unless there are no feasible alternatives, a conservation plan using best practices is included, and the permit meets other water regulations. For non-drinking water use (like industrial), permits are only allowed outside metropolitan counties unless the same strict conditions apply. This directly affects municipalities, businesses, or agricultural users seeking new water access from this aquifer. The bill focuses on preventing new appropriations without proven necessity and strong conservation measures.

Maddy summaryHF 637 clarifies that election judges in Minnesota are not considered employees of the local government body (like a county) that appoints them. The bill specifically prohibits appointing authorities from requiring election judges to meet employment conditions unrelated to their election duties, such as background checks or training typically required for permanent staff. This directly affects election judges and local election officials who appoint them. The bill amends Minnesota law to prevent local governments from imposing unnecessary employment rules on temporary election judges.