Rep. Krista Knudsen

Maddy summaryHF 3212 appropriates $34.59 million from bond proceeds and $15.72 million from the general fund to support a nine-county regional waste management system in northwest Minnesota. The bill directly funds specific projects for Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Polk, and Red Lake counties, including constructing a new debris landfill in Hubbard County and upgrading 12 existing processing facilities. Key mechanisms include grants for building construction, site improvements, and capital equipment (like compactors and sorting systems) to coordinate waste handling across the region. This funding enables counties to design, build, and equip facilities for managing trash and recyclables, with no new regulations or policies created.

Maddy summaryThis bill lowers the age threshold for early retirement reductions in Minnesota's Teachers Retirement Association from 62 to 60. It directly affects teachers who retire before normal retirement age but want to avoid reduced benefits. Specifically, members retiring before age 60 will now face the early retirement reduction, whereas previously the reduction applied only for retirement before age 62. The bill also clarifies procedures for delaying postretirement adjustments, though the exact mechanism isn't detailed in the provided text.

Maddy summaryHF 20 clarified which data maintained by Minnesota's Attorney General's Office must be treated as "private data" under state law. It specifically designated five categories as private: disciplinary records (excluding public hearings), non-final administrative communications, consumer complaint data (excluding confidential data), inactive investigative files, and detailed home protection hotline information (like mortgage details and income). This change directly affects the Attorney General's Office by requiring them to handle these specific data types with privacy protections. The bill was introduced in 2025 but was not passed by the legislature and was laid on the table.

Maddy summaryHF 2407 requires Minnesota long-term care facilities to allow residents to have one designated support person (chosen by the resident) physically present while they are at the facility. This applies to both nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Facilities may restrict this right only during medical procedures (like surgeries), or if the support person is violent or threatening, and must follow written grievance procedures if a resident's request is denied. The bill directly affects residents in these facilities by expanding their right to personal support during care.

Maddy summaryHF 130 establishes mandatory minimum prison sentences for individuals convicted of sex trafficking minors in Minnesota. It requires a minimum 10-year prison term (120 months) for first-degree sex trafficking involving victims under 18, and a 12-year term (144 months) when aggravating factors are present. These factors include prior trafficking offenses, victim bodily harm, extended debt bondage (over 180 days), or trafficking multiple victims. The bill directly affects offenders convicted under these specific sex trafficking provisions, replacing judicial discretion with fixed sentencing ranges for these crimes. It takes effect August 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHF 2147 exempts hot tubs or whirlpools on houseboats and single-unit rental properties from most public pool safety requirements in Minnesota. It requires property owners to ensure water temperature stays below 106°F, test chlorine/bromine, pH, and alkalinity before each rental, and provide renters with a specific notice about the exemption. The bill mandates a posted warning: "NOTICE: This spa is exempt from certain state and local sanitary requirements... USE AT YOUR OWN RISK." It directly affects rental property owners, resorts, and renters of these properties, while prohibiting local governments from adding extra requirements for qualifying hot water pools.

Maddy summaryHF 2881 appropriates $4.9 million from the general fund for the Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, with the same amount continuing annually thereafter. This funding directly supports the task force's operations, enabling it to investigate and combat human trafficking within Minnesota. The bill provides specific, concrete financial resources without altering existing laws or creating new obligations.

Maddy summaryHF 8 streamlines Minnesota's environmental permitting process to improve efficiency and transparency. It sets specific timeframes (90 days for simpler permits, 150 days for complex ones), requires the Pollution Control Agency to issue separate construction and operation permits for certain facilities, and mandates that petitioners for environmental assessments must live in affected or neighboring counties. The bill also eliminates preliminary environmental assessment steps for projects requiring full environmental impact statements and requires the agency to publish annual reports tracking permitting progress. These changes directly affect developers, landowners, and the Pollution Control Agency in processing environmental permits.

Maddy summaryHF 3138 modifies a $2,950,000 state appropriation for the Heartland State Trail. It allocates $550,000 specifically for a trail segment between Detroit Lakes and Frazee, and $2.4 million for environmental reviews, design, and construction of a paved trail connecting Itasca State Park to the Heartland Trail, including a tunnel under Highway 71. Unspent funds after completing the primary projects become available for other trail segments: Becker County to Detroit Lakes, Park Rapids to Osage, and Osage to Frazee. The bill amends existing law to adjust these funding allocations for trail development. The changes take effect the day after final enactment.

Maddy summaryHF 538 modifies Minnesota's law on when police may use deadly force, specifically preventing officers from using lethal force solely to stop a person from harming themselves (e.g., in a suicide situation). The bill requires that if an officer uses deadly force to protect someone from apparent death, they must instead reasonably believe the person poses an immediate threat of death or serious injury to others, meeting specific criteria like the threat being specific, likely to occur, and needing immediate action. This change directly affects Minnesota police officers and individuals in crisis, aiming to limit unnecessary lethal force while maintaining existing standards for protecting officers or the public from violence.