Rep. Mary Clardy

Maddy summaryHF 1124 allows Minnesota school districts to begin the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years before Labor Day, which is currently prohibited under state law. This temporary change applies only to those two specific school years and does not alter the standard start date requirement for other years. School districts choosing this option must report their start dates to the education commissioner, who will then compile and submit a list of participating districts to legislators by January 5, 2027. The bill directly affects public school districts in Minnesota for those two school years.

Maddy summaryHF 2065 increases annual state funding for library online databases by $2.9 million for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The bill appropriates these funds to the Department of Education to maintain statewide licenses for online research databases. These licenses directly benefit school media centers, public libraries, state government agency libraries, and college/university libraries across Minnesota. The funding ensures continued access to digital resources without requiring additional local spending.

Maddy summaryHF 1514 appropriates $400,000 annually from the general fund for the Veterans Resilience Project to provide eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. It directly serves veterans, veterans' spouses, active military service members, and their spouses diagnosed with PTSD or trauma. The bill requires the project to submit annual reports by January 15 to the commissioner of veterans affairs and relevant legislative committees, detailing program spending, participants served, and services provided. This funding and reporting mechanism ensures targeted mental health support for military-connected individuals while maintaining transparency.

Maddy summaryHF 62 is a technical correction that moves references to existing student attendance laws from Minnesota Statutes Chapter 120A to their appropriate chapters elsewhere in the statutes. This bill does not change any attendance policies, rules, or requirements for students, schools, or families. It only reorganizes where these laws are codified in the state code for clarity and consistency. The bill has no substantive impact on education practices or student attendance.

Maddy summaryHF 1516 appropriates $5 million from Minnesota's general fund for a one-time grant to an organization developing a support program specifically for Black veterans. The program must provide services including mental health care ($1.5M), job training ($1M), homeownership assistance ($700K), educational support ($500K), and administrative outreach ($1M). This bill directly affects Black veterans in Minnesota by creating targeted access to these specific support services through a state-funded grant. The commissioner of veterans affairs is required to award the grant to an eligible organization to operate the program. The funding is allocated for fiscal year 2026 only.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota's definition of a "debt buyer" to clarify that businesses purchasing charged-off medical debts for collection purposes are considered debt buyers, while excluding nonprofits buying for charitable reasons. It appropriates $5 million from the general fund for a one-time grant to the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to relieve medical debt for eligible residents who couldn't pay after hospitals completed reasonable collection efforts. The grant must be used by June 30, 2028, and Undue Medical Debt must report recipient demographics to state agencies. The bill directly affects low-income Minnesotans with unpaid medical bills and hospitals that previously pursued collections.

Maddy summaryHF 113 appropriates $1.363 million for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to fund the Minnesota Black Farmers Association. The money will support three specific farms - Mahogany Farm in Mora, Frog Tree Farm in Verndale, and 40 Acre Co-op in Sandstone - to build greenhouses, improve farmhouses, and create community hubs. These projects aim to preserve Black farming cultural heritage, train new farmers in sustainable practices, and host educational programs. The funding directly benefits Black farmers and their communities in Minnesota through tangible infrastructure and programming.

Maddy summaryHF 2067 modifies Minnesota school attendance rules by changing how student absences are tracked and reported. It requires school boards to establish written rules for issuing and recording excused absences (replacing current informal practices) and clarifies that students are counted as "in attendance" only when school staff are paid to supervise them. The bill directly affects all Minnesota public school districts and their staff, who must implement these new reporting procedures by July 1, 2025. Key changes include standardized documentation for absences and updated reenrollment notification processes for students returning after extended absences.

Maddy summaryHF 3091 appropriates $3 million to St. Paul and $2 million to West St. Paul for economic development grants targeting small businesses. The funds, available through June 2027, support businesses with 10 or fewer full-time equivalent employees through technical assistance, no-interest loans, forgivable loans, and operating expense grants. St. Paul will partner with the West Side Community Organization, while West St. Paul will work with the Residents of Color Collective. The bill directly affects small business owners in these communities by providing financial support to retain jobs and foster local economic growth.

Maddy summaryHF 3005 appropriates $497,500 for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to fund home-delivered meals for veterans through Metro Meals on Wheels, plus technical assistance for member programs. The bill requires Metro Meals on Wheels to submit detailed reports by September 1, 2026 and 2027, documenting how funds were used and the number of veterans/servicemembers served. This is a one-time funding appropriation, not a recurring budget item, directly supporting veterans' access to meal services in Minnesota. The bill affects veterans receiving meals and Metro Meals on Wheels as the grant recipient.