Rep. Harry Niska

Maddy summaryHF 2638 extends a sales and use tax exemption for construction materials used in specific water infrastructure projects in Ramsey, Minnesota. It modifies an existing law to allow tax-free purchases of materials for new water treatment plants and trunk water main improvements, covering purchases made after December 31, 2022, and before July 1, 2027. The bill also specifies that refunds for eligible purchases must be issued after June 30, 2023, and before July 1, 2027, with the exemption applying retroactively to qualifying purchases. This directly affects construction companies buying materials for these projects and the city of Ramsey's water infrastructure development.

Maddy summaryHF 195 exempts property owned and operated by congressionally chartered veterans service organizations from Minnesota property taxes. The bill removes the standard property tax classification rate for this specific property and establishes a direct tax exemption. It requires the commissioner of veterans affairs to annually provide a list of qualifying organizations to the commissioner of revenue by January 1. The exemption takes effect for property assessments beginning in 2026.

Maddy summaryHF 1341 designates January 9 as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in Minnesota, requiring the governor to issue an annual proclamation. It encourages school districts to partner with law enforcement agencies to create middle and high school "explorer" programs about law enforcement careers, which may count as course credit. The bill appropriates $6 million for 2026-2027 to reimburse agencies for peace officer training and $1 million for 2026 to fund pathway-to-policing programs that help recruit diverse candidates through local government grants. These provisions directly affect schools, law enforcement agencies, and local governments by supporting career education and training funding.

Maddy summaryHF 2420 establishes the Commission on Government Efficiency and Ethics to investigate allegations of fraud in state-funded programs and undisclosed legislative conflicts of interest. The commission will maintain an anonymous hotline and website for reporting, offer up to $5,000 rewards for reports leading to convictions or expulsions, and conduct investigations or forensic audits of state agencies. It requires public officials and entities handling public funds to cooperate with investigations and must report credible fraud evidence to law enforcement or legislative committees. The commission also submits annual reports with recommendations to prevent fraud and conflicts of interest. This bill directly affects state program administrators, legislators, and any individuals reporting misconduct.

Maddy summaryHF 2512 creates a property tax exemption for real estate owned and operated by congressionally chartered veterans service organizations in Minnesota. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes to exempt qualifying property under section 273.13, subdivision 25, paragraph (d), clause (3), from property taxes. The commissioner of veterans affairs must annually provide a list of eligible organizations to the commissioner of revenue by January 1. This exemption applies to assessment year 2025 and later. The bill directly affects these veterans service organizations by reducing their property tax burden on qualifying properties.

Maddy summaryHF 2448 prohibits counties, cities, and towns in Minnesota from banning the sale of flavored tobacco products, such as those with fruit, chocolate, mint, or candy flavors. It amends Minnesota Statutes to state that local governments may not enact ordinances that ban these products or create regulations making their sale impossible within their boundaries. The bill specifically defines "flavored products" as tobacco or nicotine products with non-tobacco tastes distinguishable before or during consumption. This law overrides any existing or future local ordinances attempting to restrict or ban such sales, while allowing local governments to maintain other tobacco sales regulations. The bill takes effect the day after final enactment.

Maddy summaryHF 4 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring Minnesota to return budget surplus funds to taxpayers. If approved, it would create a "Minnesota tax relief account" funded by revenue exceeding 105% of projected spending, using those funds to refund or reduce property and income taxes. Taxpayers would receive direct refunds or tax reductions, but only up to the amount they owe in taxes, with the account funded annually from the state's general fund surplus. The amendment must be voted on by voters in the 2026 general election.

Maddy summaryHF 26, titled the "Never Again Act," shifts emergency declaration authority from the governor to the Minnesota legislature. It repeals the governor's power to declare emergencies and establish a new process requiring legislative approval for emergency declarations and extensions. The bill also prohibits the governor from issuing emergency orders with the "full force and effect of law" and explicitly protects citizens' rights, including free speech, religious freedom, assembly, travel, gun rights, and the ability to operate businesses. These changes amend multiple sections of Minnesota Statutes to clarify that only the legislature may enact emergency measures with legal force during crises.

Maddy summaryHF 23 amends Minnesota Statutes section 181.932 to strengthen whistleblower protections for public employees. It expands the list of protected disclosures to include reporting gross mismanagement or waste of public funds (subsection 7), clarifies protections for health care quality concerns (subsection 4), and adds specific scenarios like reporting truthful scientific studies (subsection 5) or classified service communications about state services (subsection 6). These changes directly affect state and local government employees who report violations of law, safety risks, or financial misconduct. The bill modifies existing anti-retaliation language to explicitly cover these new disclosure types while maintaining that protected disclosures cannot override other legal data protections.

Maddy summaryHF 28 amends Minnesota energy law to add a specific exemption for data centers. It defines "emergency backup generator" and creates a new exemption (section 216B.243, subdivision 8(12)) allowing data centers to install combinations of backup generators totaling 50,000 kilowatts or more without undergoing certain regulatory reviews. This directly affects large data center operators by streamlining approval for their critical backup power systems. The bill modifies existing exemption rules to explicitly cover these high-capacity generator setups, reducing regulatory hurdles for data center infrastructure projects.