Rep. Jeff Witte

Maddy summaryHF 2201 increases local optional aid for Minnesota schools and limits state-paid free school lunches to families with incomes at or below 500 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill establishes a "free enhanced school meals program" requiring participating schools to provide two free meals per day (breakfast and lunch) to students from families earning between 185% and 500% of the federal poverty level. It amends school meal financing rules to adjust state aid payments and appropriates funds to support these changes, effective for fiscal year 2026. This directly affects schools, families with children in the specified income range, and the state's education budget.

Maddy summaryHF 124 allows living public safety officers (including police, firefighters, and emergency responders) to accept certain gifts, such as money, property, plaques, or services, when a fellow officer is killed in the line of duty. The bill requires that gifts be given within 24 months of the death, honor or commemorate the fallen officer, and support team morale. This applies to officers employed by the same agency or political subdivision as the deceased officer. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes to permit these gifts without violating existing gift acceptance rules.

Maddy summaryHF 3220 provides $1.81 million in one-time funding for schools to install law enforcement emergency entry devices, specifically secure master key boxes meeting Underwriters Laboratories Standard 1037. These devices allow police to access school buildings from the exterior during emergencies. Eligible applicants include public school districts, charter schools, and cooperatives, with grants limited to $1,000 per school building. Funds are distributed by first awarding one grant per applicant, then using a lottery for remaining funds, and require schools to update safety plans to include device details. The appropriation expires June 30, 2026.

Maddy summaryHF 2554 designates a specific bridge on Burnsville Parkway over Interstate Highway 35W in Burnsville, Minnesota, as the "Elmstrand * Finseth * Ruge Heroes Memorial Bridge." The bill amends Minnesota Statutes section 161.14 to formally name the structure and requires the transportation commissioner to adopt appropriate signage for it. This is a commemorative measure naming a physical location, not a policy change affecting residents or creating new laws. The bridge itself is the direct subject of the designation, with no broader legislative impact beyond the memorial name and signage.

Maddy summaryHF 2994 appropriates $1 million from the workforce development fund to create a child care pilot program for Hennepin County law enforcement and first responders. The funding, available until June 2027, will help the Sheriff's Office partner with WomenVenture to recruit child care providers who can accommodate irregular work shifts, covering costs like business planning, training, and family scholarships. The program aims to improve retention by addressing a key challenge for these workers. By December 2027, the Sheriff's Office must submit a report detailing how the funds were used and recommending future child care solutions for public safety staff.

Maddy summaryHF 3170 would require Minnesota public elementary and secondary schools to restrict participation on female sports teams to students identified as female at birth. The bill mandates that students must provide a physician's statement verifying their sex based on reproductive anatomy, natural testosterone levels, and chromosomes if a dispute arises about their sex. This policy applies to all school-level athletic teams designated for women or girls and takes effect July 1, 2025. The bill directly affects student-athletes seeking to participate on female teams and school administrators managing athletic eligibility.

Maddy summaryHF 3051 exempts sales of admission privileges for PGA World Championship golf tournaments and related events from Minnesota's sales and use tax. The bill directly affects tournament organizers and attendees purchasing tickets to these specific events. It amends Minnesota Statutes section 297A.68 by adding a new tax exemption for the "granting of the privilege of admission" to these PGA-sponsored tournaments. The exemption applies to all sales made after June 30, 2025.

Maddy summaryHF 1573 clarifies how courts can provide retroactive relief to people convicted of specific felony murder charges in Minnesota. It applies to those convicted under Minnesota Statutes §609.185 (clause 3) or §609.19 (subd. 2, clause 1), allowing courts to vacate their convictions if they prove they didn’t cause the death and weren’t major participants or acted with extreme indifference to life. Courts must then resentence individuals for the most serious remaining offense, without increasing total prison time or supervision periods, and must notify victims about the hearing. The bill ensures sentences align with original conviction dates and prevents retroactive relief from being treated as an exoneration under other laws.

Maddy summaryHF 135 requires that certain assaults committed by inmates in Minnesota facilities be punished with consecutive sentences, meaning the new sentence starts only after the prior sentence ends. It specifically applies to: 1) State prison inmates convicted of assaults (under MN Statutes 609.221-609.224) while confined, and 2) County jail inmates who assault a county sheriff or deputy while confined. In both cases, offenders cannot count time already served toward the new sentence, and the assault sentence must be served in a correctional facility regardless of whether the assault was a misdemeanor. The law takes effect August 1, 2025, for crimes committed on or after that date.

Maddy summaryHF 1396 expands Minnesota law enforcement's permitted uses of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles). It adds 10 specific scenarios where police may deploy drones, including conducting threat assessments before events, gathering evidence after serious traffic collisions, searching for missing persons, and collecting information with reasonable suspicion of crime. The bill modifies Minnesota Statutes section 626.19, subdivision 3, to authorize these uses while requiring written consent for private property use and written requests from other government entities. This directly affects all Minnesota law enforcement agencies operating drones under current statutes. The changes focus on operational safety, evidence preservation, and public safety during specific high-risk situations.