Rep. Jimmy Gordon

Maddy summaryHF 3698 prohibits publishers from including certain restrictive terms in license agreements for libraries' electronic books and digital audiobooks. It directly affects Minnesota public libraries, school libraries, and the Minitex network by banning clauses that prevent libraries from lending digital materials - such as restrictions on interlibrary loans or limiting how materials can be shared. The law requires contracts to allow libraries to perform standard lending functions, including loaning materials via digital systems. It becomes effective 60 days after Minnesota’s secretary of state confirms other states with at least 7 million combined population have similar laws.

Maddy summaryHF 12 restricts participation on female-designated sports teams in Minnesota K-12 schools to students identified as female at birth, based on specific medical criteria. It requires students in disputes about sex to provide a physician's statement confirming their sex using three factors: reproductive anatomy, natural testosterone levels, and chromosome analysis. The bill directly affects public and private schools offering girls' sports teams and students seeking to join them. It amends Minnesota education law to take effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires drivers to stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus displaying flashing red lights while children are boarding or exiting. It directly affects all drivers approaching school buses on Minnesota roads, mandating they remain stopped until the red lights cease flashing. The bill also adds a new provision warning drivers that amber lights indicate red lights will soon activate, requiring them to prepare to stop. These changes aim to improve safety for children near school bus stops. The bill is currently pending passage after committee approval.

Maddy summaryHF 3588 would expand who can request Minnesota's voter registration list by adding the national chair of a major political party to the current list of eligible requesters (registered voters). County auditors and the secretary of state must provide the list within five business days of a complete request with payment for copying, and make it available for free public inspection. The bill maintains restrictions requiring users to limit the list's use to election-related, political, or law enforcement purposes only. This change directly affects national political party leaders seeking voter data for campaign or organizational purposes.

Maddy summaryHF 3587 requires election judges assisting voters outside polling places (such as in vehicles) to handle only one voted ballot at a time. This applies when judges help voters register, update registration, or complete voting procedures outside the polling site, as specified in Minnesota Statutes section 204C.15, subdivision 2. The bill directly affects election judges and ensures a specific procedural safeguard during this type of assistance. It amends existing law to add this one-ballot-at-a-time requirement for judges providing such support. The change aims to clarify handling procedures during off-site voting assistance.

Maddy summaryHF 2817 amends Minnesota law to extend service line of duty death benefits to part-time, paid on-call, and volunteer firefighters. The bill updates the definition of "public safety officer" to include these firefighters when performing specific duties like firefighting, emergency medical services, or hazardous material response. This change ensures that the families of these firefighters who die while on duty receive the same death benefits previously available only to full-time firefighters. The policy applies to firefighters working for local government fire departments or independent nonprofit firefighting organizations.

Maddy summaryThis bill makes Minnesota's paid family and medical leave program optional for both employers and employees. It allows employers to opt out of the program by submitting a form to the state, with the option to change their decision once every 12 months. Employees of opting-out employers can still participate as self-employed individuals, while all employees retain the ability to opt out individually using a state form. The changes modify existing requirements in Minnesota Statutes chapter 268B to provide this flexibility.

Maddy summaryHF 3524 would allow Minnesota taxpayers to deduct qualified overtime pay from their state taxable income, aligning Minnesota's tax code with a federal deduction for overtime compensation. This bill directly affects Minnesota residents who earn overtime pay and file state income taxes. The key provision adopts the federal definition of "qualified overtime compensation" under Internal Revenue Code section 225, permitting this deduction for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2028, though it applies retroactively to years starting after December 31, 2024. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 290.0132, to add this deduction as a subtraction from taxable income.

Maddy summaryHF 3436 requires drivers approaching a stopped school bus displaying flashing red lights to stop at least 20 feet away. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes section 169.444 to mandate this stop until the bus retracts its stop arm and turns off the red lights. It also adds a new provision requiring drivers to prepare to stop within 20 feet when a bus shows prewarning amber lights, signaling red lights are about to activate. This law directly affects all drivers operating vehicles near school buses in Minnesota, aiming to improve safety for children boarding or exiting buses. The bill takes effect the day after final enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals the Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program, which provided financial support to low-income families for child care services. The legislation removes numerous statutory sections that defined eligibility, certification requirements, and operational rules for the program, affecting families who previously received assistance and child care providers who operated under its framework. Key provisions include eliminating definitions for applicants, certified centers, and payment classifications, as well as deleting data collection and fraud investigation procedures tied to the program. The changes become effective on July 1, 2027, and require the state revisor to update all related statutes by that date.