Sen. Steve Drazkowski

Maddy summaryThis bill reinstates the Board of Animal Health as the primary regulator for farmed white-tailed deer in Minnesota, reversing prior authority held by the Commissioner of Natural Resources. It requires deer farmers to maintain 96-inch-high, high-tensile fencing with redundant gates, undergo regular inspections, and correct violations within 14 days (or face facility registration revocation). The Board now enforces rules for fencing, escape prevention, and chronic wasting disease testing, while farmers remain liable for escape-related costs and disease management. This directly affects deer farmers and state agencies responsible for animal health oversight.

Maddy summaryMinnesota Senate File 660 eliminates the "shotgun use area" restriction for deer hunting. The bill repeals the existing law that limited hunters in specific northern Minnesota areas to shotguns only during the regular deer season, and instead allows all legal firearms statewide during that season. This directly affects deer hunters across Minnesota, removing geographic restrictions that previously required hunters in certain regions to use only shotguns. The key change is a statewide policy shift from restricted firearm use in defined zones to uniform access to all legal firearms during the regular deer hunting season.

Maddy summarySF 688 modifies Minnesota's self-defense laws by eliminating the common law duty to retreat when using force outside one's home. It expands the definition of "dwelling" to include porches, decks, adjacent structures, and even vehicles or temporary accommodations used as a home. The bill creates a legal presumption that a person acting in self-defense is justified, applying to all uses of force occurring on or after August 1, 2025. This directly affects Minnesotans using force in self-defense, particularly in non-residential settings where retreat was previously required.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds a fictional definition of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" to Minnesota's mental health statutes. It defines the term as "acute onset of paranoia" reacting to Donald Trump's policies, with symptoms including "intense hostility" toward him and "overt acts of aggression" against his supporters. The bill amends two sections of Minnesota Statutes to include this non-clinical term in official definitions of "mental illness" and "mental health disorders." As a procedural addition with no basis in medical practice, it does not affect actual mental health care or policy.

Maddy summarySF 89 repeals Minnesota Statutes section 121A.041, which prohibited public schools (including charter schools) from using American Indian mascots, nicknames, logos, or team names. This repeal would eliminate the requirement for schools to remove existing mascots or seek exemptions from the prohibition, effective for the 2025-2026 school year and later. The current law had mandated school districts to report progress on removing such mascots and submit plans for compliance by specific deadlines. The bill directly affects all Minnesota public school districts that previously operated under the mascot prohibition.

Maddy summarySF 742 amends Minnesota law to allow landowners and public land managers to use purple paint on trees as an alternative to traditional "no trespassing" signs for prohibiting outdoor recreation access. Property owners may mark boundaries with purple paint applied at least 3 feet high on trees over 1 inch wide in 8-inch strips, instead of posting physical signs. The bill requires annual posting of corner signs regardless of paint use. This directly affects private landowners, lessees, and public land managers seeking to mark property boundaries for trespassing prohibitions. (Minnesota Statutes 2024, § 97B.001, subd. 4)

Maddy summarySF 1007, the "Education Savings Accounts for Minnesota Students Act" (ESA-4-MSA), creates state-funded accounts for low-income Minnesota students to cover educational expenses. It directly affects eligible students (residing in Minnesota with household income ≤4x the National School Lunch Act standard) who can use funds for tuition at eligible schools, tutoring, curriculum materials, textbooks, and approved technology. The bill sets annual enrollment caps (starting at 5% of public school enrollment, increasing by 3% yearly) and prioritizes kindergarten students, public school attendees, and siblings already in the program. Funds can cover K-12 expenses and limited postsecondary costs, but exclude home instruction reimbursement for parents.

Maddy summarySF 719 proposes adding a constitutional amendment to Minnesota's Constitution, protecting the right to keep and bear arms as part of Article I. If approved by voters, it would insert the text: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The bill requires submitting this amendment to voters in the 2026 general election with a specific yes/no question about adopting the change. This is a procedural proposal requiring voter approval, not an immediate law, and would directly affect all Minnesotans by potentially altering the state constitution.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Minnesota's wildlife commissioner to award bear hunting preference points to youth (minors under the hunting age) who cannot hunt bears yet. These points accumulate over time, so when the youth become eligible to hunt, they have priority in the selection process. The change modifies existing law (Minnesota Statutes 97B.405) to explicitly permit this point accumulation for young hunters. It directly affects minors interested in future bear hunting in Minnesota.

Maddy summarySF 767 requires Minnesota's commissioner of natural resources to ensure unimpeded access to state forest roads for commercial minnow trappers, leech trappers, fur trappers, and loggers. The bill amends state law to mandate that if permits are required for road access, the commissioner must issue them to these specific groups. This policy change directly affects those commercial operators who rely on forest roads for their work. The key mechanism is a requirement for the commissioner to provide consistent, unobstructed access without unnecessary barriers for these four industries. The law does not alter existing access rules for non-commercial users or other forest activities.