Rep. Cal Warwas

Maddy summaryHF 2113 exempts small Minnesota employers with 50 or fewer employees from the state's paid leave requirement. This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 268B.01, to explicitly exclude such employers from the paid leave mandate. Small businesses that currently meet the 50-employee threshold will no longer be required to provide paid leave under this law. Employers with 50 or fewer employees may still choose to opt into the paid leave program if they wish. The bill directly affects small business owners and their employees in Minnesota.

Maddy summaryThis bill removes the standard four-year statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims related to gender-affirming care received by minors in Minnesota. It defines gender-affirming care as medical or surgical interventions such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers, or gender reassignment surgery intended to affirm an individual's perceived gender identity that differs from their biological sex. The change allows patients or former patients to file lawsuits against healthcare providers for alleged errors or failures in such care without being restricted by the usual time limit. The amendment applies specifically to cases involving minor children and does not alter the statute of limitations for other types of medical malpractice claims.

Maddy summaryHF 2817 amends Minnesota law to extend service line of duty death benefits to part-time, paid on-call, and volunteer firefighters. The bill updates the definition of "public safety officer" to include these firefighters when performing specific duties like firefighting, emergency medical services, or hazardous material response. This change ensures that the families of these firefighters who die while on duty receive the same death benefits previously available only to full-time firefighters. The policy applies to firefighters working for local government fire departments or independent nonprofit firefighting organizations.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new rules for collecting, storing, and using biometric data like fingerprints, facial images, and voiceprints in Minnesota. It requires individuals to give consent before their biometric data is collected, prohibits selling or sharing this data except in specific situations like completing a financial transaction or responding to a law enforcement warrant, and mandates that the data be deleted within one year after the original purpose for collecting it ends. The law also requires companies to protect biometric data with security measures at least as strong as those used for other confidential information and imposes civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation for non-compliance. Financial institutions are exempt from the voiceprint data retention requirements under this bill.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a Legislative Working Group on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to examine gaps in state and county services for people with these disabilities. The group will consist of 18 members, including legislative committee chairs and representatives from two specific counties, who will meet at least monthly to review demographic data and service availability. The working group will receive administrative support from the Legislative Coordinating Commission and must submit a report, with funding appropriated for its operations.

Maddy summaryHF 495 creates a new tax subtraction for Minnesota individual income taxpayers who pay for licensed child care. It allows taxpayers to subtract day care costs paid to licensed programs (like centers or family child care) from their taxable income, but only for amounts exceeding any dependent care benefits they already excluded from federal income tax. This change applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024, and directly affects Minnesota taxpayers with qualifying child care expenses. The bill does not change existing federal tax rules but adds a state-level benefit for eligible costs.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a tax subtraction for pension income earned by volunteer firefighters in Minnesota, directly affecting individuals who serve as volunteer or on-call firefighters. The legislation defines volunteer firefighter pension income as annuity payments or lump-sum distributions from public retirement plans based on firefighting service. Starting with taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025, eligible recipients can subtract this income from their taxable income when filing state individual income tax returns. The bill amends existing Minnesota tax statutes to establish this new provision without changing how other retirement income is treated.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a tax subtraction for firefighter pension income in Minnesota, allowing eligible individuals to reduce their taxable income by the amount of pensions received from firefighting service. It directly affects firefighters who receive annuity income or lump-sum payments from public retirement plans based on their firefighting work. The key provision adds a new subdivision to Minnesota tax law that defines firefighter pension income and establishes it as a deductible amount on individual income tax returns. The change will take effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025, meaning firefighters will benefit from this tax relief starting in the 2026 tax year.

Maddy summaryThis bill aligns Minnesota's state tax law with the federal tax treatment of tip income. It adds a provision allowing Minnesota taxpayers to deduct qualified tips under the federal Internal Revenue Code (section 224) as a subtraction from taxable income. The deduction applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2028, but is effective retroactively for years starting after December 31, 2024. This directly affects Minnesota residents who earn tip income and file individual income tax returns, potentially reducing their state tax liability.

Maddy summaryHF 3524 would allow Minnesota taxpayers to deduct qualified overtime pay from their state taxable income, aligning Minnesota's tax code with a federal deduction for overtime compensation. This bill directly affects Minnesota residents who earn overtime pay and file state income taxes. The key provision adopts the federal definition of "qualified overtime compensation" under Internal Revenue Code section 225, permitting this deduction for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2028, though it applies retroactively to years starting after December 31, 2024. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 290.0132, to add this deduction as a subtraction from taxable income.