Rep. Samakab Hussein

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a state rapid start program to help Minnesota treat people living with HIV by ensuring they begin antiretroviral therapy quickly after diagnosis. It requires health plans to cover HIV treatment and prevention services without prior authorization, step therapy protocols, or cost-sharing requirements like co-pays and deductibles. The state will oversee local programs, provide grants to support treatment access, and report on program outcomes to improve care delivery.

Maddy summaryThis Minnesota bill creates a $100 million relief program to help small businesses that experienced significant revenue declines between July 2024 and February 2026, which the bill attributes to federal enforcement activity. The program provides grants to operators of indoor retail or food market spaces with at least 25 small tenant businesses, requiring that most funds be used to offer rent forgiveness to existing tenants. To qualify, businesses must be Minnesota-based, have fewer than 50 employees, operate from a physical location, and show at least a 20 percent drop in revenue or sales during the specified period. Grant applications will be processed through a lottery system, with funds usable for payroll, rent, utilities, inventory, and other operational expenses, and the state must report on the program's outcomes by December 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HF 3556) is a naming resolution that commemorates Melissa Hortman by designating Minnesota's community solar garden program as the "Melissa Hortman Community Solar Garden Program." It does not change any program rules, funding, or operations - it only adds a short title to Minnesota Statutes section 216B.1641. The bill directly honors Melissa Hortman, a former state legislator, through this naming. It is procedural and has no policy impact beyond the name change.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a one-time $10 million fund to reimburse Minnesota cities for costs related to federal immigration enforcement activities occurring between December 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. The money will be distributed to cities based on a pro-ratio of their verified expenses for public safety, emergency management, public works, and legal services during that period. Cities must submit detailed cost reports to the state auditor for review and certification before receiving their share of the aid. If a city receives federal reimbursement for the same expenses, it must return the lesser of the federal amount or the state aid received to the state treasury.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $250,000 in state funding for fiscal year 2027 to support the St. Paul Art Collective. The funds are managed by the Minnesota Humanities Center and designated for grants to help sustain and expand community arts infrastructure in the Twin Cities area. The money will be used for staffing, artist fees, and events like the St. Paul Art Crawl to improve public access to the arts and support local artists. The legislation aims to strengthen neighborhood identity and civic life across St. Paul and the greater metropolitan region through cultural programming.

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 summaryHF 3351 repeals Minnesota's state preemption law that previously blocked local governments from regulating firearms. This bill removes barriers preventing cities and counties from creating their own firearm regulations, such as zoning rules for gun stores. It amends Minnesota Statutes to allow local governments to adopt "reasonable, nondiscriminatory, and nonarbitrary" ordinances regarding firearm sales locations. The bill also repeals specific sections (471.633, 471.634, 624.714, 624.717, and 624.7191) that enforced the preemption. Local governments will now have direct authority to regulate firearms within their jurisdictions.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates regulations for electric cooperatives and municipal utilities in Minnesota to clarify how they handle billing for small solar and other net metered facilities. It allows these utilities to charge a specific fee to recover fixed costs for small systems while prohibiting them from using other methods to collect those same costs. The legislation also permits electric cooperatives to aggregate multiple customer meters for billing purposes and requires cooperative board directors to use electronic voting or vote by mail. Additionally, the bill improves transparency by ensuring members have better access to cooperative documents and meetings.

Maddy summaryThis Minnesota bill requires employers to inform their employees within 72 hours if a federal immigration agency plans to inspect their employment records. It also prohibits employers from allowing federal immigration officers into nonpublic areas of their business, such as offices or storage rooms, unless the officers present a valid court warrant. To enforce these rules, the state will provide a standard notice template for businesses to use, and employers face civil fines ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 for failing to comply with the notification or access restrictions. The law directly impacts businesses in Minnesota and aims to ensure workers are aware of federal inspections while limiting unauthorized access to private workspaces.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the Minnesota Business Recovery Loan Program to help businesses that have suffered financial losses due to increased immigration enforcement activities in the state. It appropriates $100 million in fiscal year 2026, with $18 million designated for zero-interest loans to businesses in greater Minnesota and $82 million for zero-interest loans to businesses in the seven-county metropolitan area through nonprofit lenders. To qualify, businesses must be located in Minnesota, owned by state residents, demonstrate a revenue loss of more than 30 percent between enactment and December 1, 2025, and show that losses resulted from staffing shortages, reduced customer access, or other immigration enforcement-related factors. The program provides loans ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 depending on business size and location, which must be used exclusively for business operations in Minnesota and cannot be used to repay prior debt or for real estate speculation.