Rep. Wayne Johnson

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Minnesota School Safety Center to create and distribute evidence-based model safety plans for K-12 schools, requiring districts to adopt similar plans by May 2028. It establishes strict criteria for what counts as "evidence-based," mandating that safety strategies be backed by strong research or well-designed studies before they are implemented. The legislation also enables anonymous threat reporting systems in schools and requires the safety center to consult with licensed mental health professionals when developing these plans. Additionally, the bill modifies grant programs for school buildings and cybersecurity while increasing funding for safe schools initiatives.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Minnesota's gross receipts tax law to explicitly include hospitals and health care providers as taxable entities while excluding licensed chiropractors from the list of providers subject to the tax. The legislation defines "health care provider" to include various medical service providers such as doctors, dental professionals, and ambulance services, while listing specific exclusions like pharmacies, nursing homes, and home health agencies. A new provision adds licensed chiropractors to the list of excluded providers, clarifying that they will not be required to pay the gross receipts tax on their services. The changes will take effect for gross revenues received after December 31, 2026, and apply to the state's existing gross receipts tax framework.

Maddy summaryHF 3493 increases Minnesota's safe schools revenue funding to $36 per adjusted pupil unit for the 2027 fiscal year and later. It expands eligibility to include charter schools, cooperative units, nonpublic schools, and Tribal contract schools - previously limited to traditional public school districts. The bill requires funds to be used for specific safety purposes like security enhancements, counseling services, drug prevention programs, and cybersecurity measures. This policy change directly affects all Minnesota schools receiving state education funding, providing new resources for school safety initiatives. The bill takes effect for fiscal year 2027.

Maddy summaryHF 168 creates an advance homestead credit for qualifying seniors in Minnesota, allowing them to receive 50% of their prior year's homestead tax refund upfront. Seniors who already qualified for the standard homestead credit can apply for this advance, which is applied directly to their first-half property tax payment each year. The state reimburses counties and school districts for the tax reductions by October 31 (for non-school districts) or through the Department of Education (for school districts). This policy, effective for 2027 property taxes, aims to ease annual tax burdens for eligible seniors by providing earlier access to their refund amount.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new tax in Minnesota that targets individuals and organizations convicted of fraud or those identified by the state revenue commissioner as having obtained money through deceitful means. The tax requires anyone who has successfully defrauded state programs to pay back 100 percent of the stolen amount, regardless of any existing fines or restitution already ordered by courts. The state revenue commissioner is tasked with investigating suspected fraud, setting up a system to collect these payments, and ensuring the recovered funds are used specifically for income and property tax relief. The law applies retroactively to fraud cases determined after December 31, 2019, and also covers people who were paid to help commit the fraud.

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates $500,000 from the workforce development fund to support a local news talent pipeline program in Minnesota. The funding will be distributed through the Minnesota News Media Institute to provide paid internships at newspapers, television and radio stations, and digital news platforms for individuals interested in journalism careers. The program aims to strengthen local news operations by giving participants hands-on experience in reporting, editing, and media design while requiring geographic and medium diversity in grant distribution. The bill also mandates consultation with local news organization associations and allows up to five percent of the funds for administrative expenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes the requirement for electronic pull-tab manufacturers to complete annual system and organization controls audits. It directly affects gambling manufacturers licensed in Minnesota by eliminating a specific compliance obligation previously mandated under state law. The legislation amends existing statutes to delete the audit requirement while keeping other financial reporting rules for gambling organizations intact. By repealing the specific section that enforced these manufacturer audits, the bill simplifies regulatory expectations for this industry segment without altering broader audit standards for larger gambling entities.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies how Minnesota calculates registration taxes for passenger cars and hearses by lowering the tax rate based on the vehicle's manufacturer's suggested retail price. It changes the tax calculation for new vehicles registered on or after November 16, 2020, and reduces the percentage of the vehicle's value taxed for each subsequent year of ownership. The legislation also establishes a process to transfer money from the state's general fund to the highway user tax distribution fund to cover any revenue shortfall caused by these tax reductions.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a refundable sales tax exemption for construction materials used in the TH 61/80th Street Rehabilitation Project in Cottage Grove. It applies to purchases made between March 31, 2026, and January 1, 2028, allowing the city to buy supplies for this specific road repair without paying sales tax upfront. The state will collect the tax normally and then reimburse the city from the general fund, ensuring the project does not face a cash flow burden. This measure directly affects the City of Cottage Grove by reducing its costs for a planned infrastructure improvement.

Maddy summaryHF 2901 expands the allowable uses of funds in Minnesota's housing tax credit contribution account to include funding supportive services for residents in existing supportive housing. This bill directly affects housing providers operating supportive housing programs, which assist vulnerable populations like seniors or individuals with disabilities. The key change amends Minnesota Statutes § 462A.40 by adding "funding supportive services in supportive housing" to the list of permitted uses, alongside existing options like construction and rehabilitation. It does not create new funding but allows existing account funds to cover essential services like case management or healthcare coordination within current supportive housing developments.