Rep. Kristin Bahner

Maddy summaryHF 1836 (Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 13.04, subdivision 4) gives individuals the right to contest inaccurate or incomplete personal data held by Minnesota state agencies. It requires agencies to respond within 30 days - correcting data or explaining why it’s accurate - and allows individuals to appeal to a commissioner if they disagree. If data is successfully challenged, agencies must correct, complete, or destroy it, regardless of standard retention rules. The bill directly affects Minnesotans whose personal information is stored in state government databases, establishing a clear process for data accuracy disputes.

Maddy summaryHF 2533 expands exemptions from prior authorization requirements for specific mental health medications in Minnesota. It prevents insurance plans from requiring prior approval for certain atypical antipsychotics, antidepressants, or antianxiety drugs used to treat mental illness if no generic equivalent exists, the drug was prescribed before July 2003, or it's part of a patient's current treatment. The bill also automatically grants 60 days of prior authorization approval when a generic version becomes available for a drug already in a patient's treatment plan. This directly affects mental health patients prescribed these medications, ensuring continuity of care without extra administrative barriers. The changes apply to all state Medicaid and insurance plans covering these drugs.

Maddy summaryHF 958 requires Minnesota's medical assistance program to cover psychiatric collaborative care services for eligible clients. This model, defined as an evidence-based integrated approach involving primary care teams with psychiatric consultants, must be billed using specific codes (99492-99494, G2214, G0512). The bill mandates coverage for this service delivery method, which includes structured care management and regular clinical assessments. It takes effect July 1, 2025, or upon federal approval, whichever is later.

Maddy summaryHF 1756 increases property tax exclusions for Minnesota veterans with service-connected disabilities and modifies benefits for surviving spouses. Veterans with a 70% or higher disability rating receive a $150,000 exclusion (doubling to $300,000 for 100% disability), with the base amount adjusted annually for inflation using a federal economic index. Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans or service members who died in active duty can continue the full $300,000 exclusion until they remarry or sell the home. The bill directly affects veterans, their spouses, and primary family caregivers who qualify under the existing program.

Maddy summaryHF 1921 appropriates $55 million from state bond proceeds to reconstruct a section of Trunk Highway 55 in Hennepin County. The funding will cover engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and construction to convert the highway into a four-lane divided road from Medina (near Arrowhead Drive) to Loretto. The bill authorizes the state to issue up to $55 million in bonds under Minnesota law, with proceeds deposited into the trunk highway fund to pay for the project. This legislation directly affects Hennepin County residents and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which will manage the highway reconstruction. The bill takes effect the day after final enactment.

Maddy summaryHF 2765 modifies Minnesota's optometry scope of practice by adding specific restrictions to the existing law. The bill directly affects licensed optometrists by prohibiting them from administering prescription medications via injection (except for anaphylaxis treatment), performing invasive surgeries (including laser procedures), prescribing certain strong oral medications (like Schedule II/III drugs or steroids), and extending the duration of some prescriptions (limiting oral antivirals to 10 days and oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors to 7 days). These changes clarify the boundaries of optometric practice under Minnesota Statutes 148.56. The bill does not alter optometrists' core duties like vision testing, lens prescribing, or diagnosing eye conditions.

Maddy summaryHF 1168 requires Minnesota's Commissioner of Revenue to create an online system for individuals to claim refunds on political contributions. It modifies the existing refund program to allow electronic data sharing between the Campaign Finance Board and the Department of Revenue, including contributor names, contribution amounts, and unique receipt validation numbers. All shared data is classified as nonpublic, protecting contributor privacy while enabling streamlined refund processing. This change affects political contributors seeking refunds, political parties/candidates issuing refund receipts, and the agencies managing campaign finance data, replacing paper-based processes with digital systems effective January 2027.

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 1075 requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health insurance plans to apply prescription drug rebates and other financial benefits directly to lower patients' out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy counter. Specifically, PBMs and health carriers must pass rebates to the covered person for each prescription, reducing their immediate payment - unless the patient's existing cost-sharing is already lower, in which case retained savings must lower future premiums. The bill also mandates annual reports starting March 1, 2026, to verify compliance with these requirements. This law affects all Minnesotans with prescription drug coverage under plans using PBMs.

Maddy summaryHF 2010 raises Minnesota's age of consent for criminal sexual conduct from 16 to 18 years old in cases where the offender is 22 or older. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 609.344 and 609.345 to remove consent as a defense and criminalize sexual contact between minors aged 16-17 and partners 22+ years old. It specifically targets situations where the age gap exceeds 36 months (3 years) and the offender holds authority over the minor. The law takes effect August 1, 2025, imposing criminal penalties for violations that previously might have been treated as consensual.