Rep. Kari Rehrauer

Maddy summaryHF 1757 requires anyone who owns, possesses, or controls a firearm to report a loss or theft to local law enforcement within 48 hours. Failure to report can result in escalating penalties, starting with a minor offense for the first violation and increasing to a gross misdemeanor for repeated failures. The bill also provides immunity from prosecution for storage-related offenses if the report is made on time and mandates that law enforcement agencies report lost or stolen firearms to the state commissioner within seven days. Additionally, the bill appropriates $36,000 for a one-time implementation of a reporting system to support these requirements.

Maddy summaryHF 1929 appropriates $7,084,000 from state bond proceeds to fund capital improvements at the Coon Rapids Dam on the Mississippi River. The Three Rivers Park District will use this funding to design, engineer, and build safety and operational upgrades to the dam structure. The bill authorizes the state to issue bonds up to this amount to cover the costs, following standard bond procedures under Minnesota law. This directly affects the dam's maintenance and public safety, benefiting residents and users of the Mississippi River corridor.

Maddy summaryHF 1827 requires Minnesota school districts to allow students with disabilities to bring their service animals (trained dogs or animals assisting with disabilities) into school settings as part of their individualized education plans. The bill prohibits schools from denying access to service animals and mandates that districts provide staff support - such as helping with tethering or water - for students to use their animals safely. Schools must modify policies by August 2025 to comply with federal law, but they are not responsible for the animal’s care, feeding, or veterinary needs. The bill ensures students with disabilities can serve as their own service animal handlers without requiring a third party.

Maddy summaryHF 1824 appropriates state funds to create technology portals on the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families website. These portals will connect vulnerable children and families with community support systems, including churches, nonprofits, and civic organizations. The bill allocates specific funding for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 as a one-time appropriation from the general fund. This policy change directly enables the department to establish a centralized digital resource for accessing local support services.

Maddy summaryHF 1736 establishes requirements for kindergarten readiness assessments and creates early childhood literacy pilot programs in Minnesota. It mandates school districts to use approved tools to measure kindergarten readiness by 2026-2027, reporting results to the state. The bill also creates an expert panel to develop evidence-based literacy practices for pilot programs in diverse settings like public pre-K, Head Start, and childcare centers. These pilots will be evaluated by independent researchers to measure literacy outcomes, with annual public reviews of results. The bill directly affects schools, early learning providers, and young children entering kindergarten.

Maddy summaryHF 1640 appropriates $150,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $150,000 for fiscal year 2027 from Minnesota's arts and cultural heritage fund to preserve the oral histories of Hmong veterans who served in the U.S.-sponsored Secret War in Laos during the Vietnam War era. The funds are directed to Special Guerrilla Units Veterans and Families of USA, Inc. to collect, document, archive, and preserve these histories while creating public educational resources. This bill directly supports Hmong veterans and their families in Minnesota by safeguarding their wartime experiences and cultural heritage. The program aims to teach future generations about the Hmong community's history and contributions in Minnesota through documented oral histories and accessible programming.

Maddy summaryHF 1842 authorizes sports betting and fantasy contests in Minnesota while establishing licensing requirements for operators and prohibiting local governments from banning these activities. The bill creates a tax system for sports betting and fantasy contests, requires operators to obtain state licenses, and includes specific rules for mobile betting applications and in-game wagers. It clarifies that standard fantasy sports contests (based on real athlete performance) are permitted, but esports events must meet additional criteria. The legislation also updates tax rates for pari-mutuel horse racing and requires reports on gambling revenue, affecting operators, tribal casinos, and residents aged 21+ who place bets.

Maddy summaryHF 1634 allows cities and counties in Minnesota that operate their own municipal cannabis stores to also hold a license for lower-potency hemp edible retailers. Previously, such municipalities were prohibited from holding both types of licenses under state law. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes sections 342.32 and 342.43 to explicitly permit this dual licensing, removing a prior restriction. This change directly affects local governments managing public cannabis retail operations, enabling them to expand into hemp edibles without needing separate private business licenses. The policy change focuses on clarifying and expanding licensing options for municipal cannabis operations.

Maddy summaryHF 1635 imposes a 5% pollution control surcharge on the "net pollution control income" of businesses and individuals with certified pollution violations. It directly affects entities that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has certified as having at least one unresolved pollution control violation (e.g., violations of environmental laws or permits). The bill requires the MPCA to notify violators of required remedial actions; if violations remain unresolved, the MPCA issues a delinquency notice and certifies the entity to the tax commissioner by January 31 each year. The surcharge applies to taxable income from the pollution control business for the year the delinquency notice is issued, effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.

Maddy summaryHF 1648 modifies Minnesota landlord-tenant law to strengthen tenant protections. It requires landlords to provide tenants with the name, address, phone number, and email of the property owner, manager, and authorized agent in writing before lease signing (Section 2). The bill prohibits landlords from listing minor children’s names in leases or eviction complaints, except when the minor is the sole tenant (Section 3). It also establishes a prospective tenant’s right to view a rental unit before signing a lease and increases penalties for violations, including treble damages or $1,000 (Section 3). The law takes effect August 1, 2025, applying to new or renewed leases after that date.