Rep. Jimmy Gordon

Maddy summaryHF 1 establishes a centralized Office of Inspector General (OIG) for Minnesota state government, replacing existing agency-specific inspector general offices. The OIG will oversee state spending, require agencies to halt payments when fraud is suspected, and mandate a fraud reporting hotline for employees and contractors. It directly affects all state agencies and recipients of state funds (such as contractors and organizations administering state programs) by requiring them to report suspected fraud and prohibiting retaliation against whistleblowers. The bill also specifies the OIG must coordinate with the legislative auditor and amends statutes related to fraud detection, waste prevention, and oversight.

Maddy summaryHF 3499 exempts paid on-call firefighters from Minnesota's Paid Leave Law by adding them to the list of excluded employment categories in the law. This bill directly affects paid on-call firefighters employed in Minnesota, removing them from the law's coverage that requires employers to provide paid leave. The key mechanism is amending two sections of Minnesota Statutes (268B.01, subdivisions 15 and 17) to explicitly exclude "paid on-call firefighter" employment from the definitions of "covered employment" and "employee." The change means these firefighters will no longer be entitled to the paid leave benefits provided under the law for other covered employees.

Maddy summaryHF 3538 prohibits public school instruction about gender identity for students in kindergarten through grade 8, effective for the 2026-2027 school year. It requires schools to notify parents or guardians about changes to a student's health, well-being, or services, and mandates parental written consent before administering certain health screenings to K-8 students. The bill also establishes a grant program to fund firearms safety, archery, hunting, and angling activities in school physical education courses. These provisions directly affect Minnesota public schools, students, and parents, with all major sections taking effect in the 2026-2027 school year.

Maddy summaryHF 3539 establishes a grant program for Minnesota school districts to integrate firearms safety, trap shooting, archery, hunting, and angling into physical education courses. School districts can apply for funding to cover curriculum development, staff training, equipment, and student licenses, with $1 million appropriated for fiscal year 2027. The program requires schools to align activities with existing PE standards and mandates a 2027 report to the legislature on outcomes and participation. This affects public and tribal schools seeking to expand outdoor skills education within required physical education frameworks.

Maddy summaryHF 3536 provides two tax benefits for public safety officers in Minnesota. It exempts homestead property (class 1a) from property tax if owned and used as a home by an officer employed or volunteering in the same city where the property is located. It also excludes income earned by public safety officers who live in the city where they work from taxable income. These changes take effect for property taxes in 2027 and for income tax filings after December 2025.

Maddy summaryHF 3533 prohibits public school teachers from discussing gender identity in classrooms for students in kindergarten through grade 8, effective for the 2026-2027 school year. The bill requires schools to notify parents about changes in a student's health, well-being, or school environment, and mandates written parental permission before administering well-being questionnaires to K-8 students. It also requires schools to obtain parental consent for health services and ensures parents can access their child's health records. These provisions directly affect K-8 public school students, teachers, and school administrators in Minnesota.

Maddy summaryHF 2517 restricts MinnesotaCare (the state's Medicaid program) from using public funds to cover abortions, except in three specific cases: when the pregnancy endangers the patient's life, causes substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function, or results from rape or incest. This directly affects MinnesotaCare enrollees who might seek abortion coverage, limiting public funding to those narrow exceptions. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes § 256L.03 to clarify that public funds cannot cover abortions outside these circumstances. The change applies to all MinnesotaCare-covered health services, excluding the listed exceptions.

Maddy summaryHF 915 exempts small local government employers (those with 50 or fewer employees) from Minnesota's Paid Leave Law. This affects county, city, town, school district, and other small local government entities. The bill amends the law to exclude these employers from the requirement to provide paid leave, while allowing them to voluntarily opt into the program if they choose. The change applies directly to how the law defines "covered employment" and "employer" for these small local entities.

Maddy summaryHF 1784 requires government entities (such as state agencies or local municipalities) to pay the legal costs - including attorney fees - of individuals or organizations they sue and lose in court. If a government entity initiates a civil lawsuit against a person and does not win, the bill mandates that the government cover all defense-related expenses incurred by the losing party. This applies to actions filed on or after August 1, 2025, and does not limit other legal remedies available to defendants. The bill aims to discourage government entities from filing meritless lawsuits by making them financially responsible for opposing legal costs.

Maddy summaryHF 15, the "Safe Haven In Every Local District (SHIELD) Act," requires all Minnesota public school districts and charter schools to include specific student and staff safety measures in their long-term facility plans by August 2025. The bill creates new grants to fund comprehensive security systems, including features like bullet-resistant doors, emergency alert systems, and staff training, with priority given to schools serving the most students. School districts must apply for these grants through the Minnesota School Safety Center, which will rank applicants and provide lists of approved vendors. The law appropriates funds from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to support these security upgrades and plan updates.