Sen. Liz Boldon

Maddy summarySF 3614 increases the state's annual funding for Minnesota's Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program from $10.3 million to $45.3 million, providing more resources to help families avoid homelessness. The program, operated under Minnesota Statutes § 462A.204, offers financial assistance and support services to families at risk of losing housing. The bill also establishes a base funding level of $10.7 million for fiscal year 2028 and beyond. This appropriation boost will allow the program to expand services and support more families in need.

Maddy summaryMinnesota's SF 3714 bans possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines (defined as devices holding more than 10 rounds, excluding permanently altered devices, .22 caliber tubes, or lever-action tubular magazines). The law prohibits most people from owning, manufacturing, transferring, or possessing these magazines, with exceptions for law enforcement, military personnel, and licensed dealers selling to those entities. Current owners must surrender, permanently alter, or remove their magazines by July 1, 2027, and violations carry felony penalties of up to 5 years in prison or $25,000 fines. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, applying to offenses committed on or after that date.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires most Minnesota health plans that offer maternity benefits to cover infertility diagnosis and treatment (including medications and procedures consistent with medical guidelines) and standard fertility preservation services (such as egg or sperm freezing before cancer treatment). It defines infertility as the inability to conceive after 6-12 months of trying (depending on age), mandates coverage without cost-sharing exceeding maternity plan limits, and limits embryo retrievals to four while allowing unlimited transfers. Health plans cannot impose extra waiting periods, referral requirements, or service-specific limits beyond those for maternity care. The bill applies to private health plans, MinnesotaCare, and medical assistance programs.

Maddy summarySF 3741 requires project owners to conduct independent groundwater testing before construction in rural Minnesota areas. It mandates testing all private and public wells within a two-mile radius of a project site (with landowner consent), establishing a baseline for groundwater quality. The results must be submitted to the Environmental Quality Board and Minnesota Geospatial Information Office for public database entry. This directly affects rural landowners whose wells may be sampled and developers planning projects requiring environmental assessments. The bill does not regulate construction but documents current water quality to inform future assessments.

Maddy summarySF 3895 appropriates a one-time emergency funding amount (not specified in the text) from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to support food shelves and food banks operating under Minnesota Statutes section 142F.14. This funding is intended for immediate distribution to help address urgent food assistance needs and expires on June 30, 2027. The bill directly affects Minnesota food shelves and food banks that serve communities in need, providing them with emergency financial support. It is a procedural funding measure with no new policy requirements, effective upon enactment.

Maddy summarySF 4017 modifies Minnesota's school immunization exemption rules for conscientious beliefs. It requires parents or guardians seeking such an exemption to complete an educational consultation with a healthcare provider about vaccine risks and benefits, and to review a state-developed immunization education module. The bill also mandates the health commissioner to create this education module and adds provisions allowing schools to exclude unvaccinated students during disease outbreaks. These changes directly affect parents of school-aged children and guardians of minors seeking exemptions, while maintaining existing medical exemption pathways.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows courts to sentence offenders below standard guidelines if they were victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or sex trafficking. It requires presentence reports to include information about such victimization and permits courts to order reduced sentences when the victimization contributed to the offense and serves the public interest. Offenders placed on probation may also be required to participate in trauma-focused treatment. The law applies to felony sentencing hearings starting August 1, 2025, and affects individuals convicted of crimes who were previously victims of these specific offenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new state program in Minnesota that provides financial assistance to families with newborns, including both prenatal and ongoing monthly payments. The program would offer a one-time prenatal benefit of $1,500 and monthly payments of $750 for up to 24 months, with no requirements for income, assets, or employment status. Eligible recipients must be Minnesota residents with a legal relationship to a newborn born on or after January 1, 2028, and can include biological parents, adoptive parents, or legal guardians. The commissioner of employment and economic development would administer the program, which requires documentation from health care providers, adoption agencies, or other approved sources to verify eligibility and parentage.

Maddy summaryThis bill would change how school board elections are conducted in Independent School District No. 535 in Rochester, Minnesota, by requiring them to follow state election laws for school districts. The key provision shifts the election method from the current system to one governed by Minnesota Statutes chapter 205A, which includes rules about ballot design and candidate selection. The bill also specifies that incumbents must serve their full terms if the election method changes, and new members would take office at the next scheduled board meeting after election. Implementation requires local approval by the school district board by June 30, 2026, for the changes to apply to 2026 elections.

Maddy summaryThis bill redefines the powers that business organizations and other legal entities in Minnesota can exercise, specifically by removing their ability to engage in political spending. It directly affects corporations, nonprofits, and other entities operating under state law by clarifying that their authorized powers are limited to those necessary for their lawful business or organizational purposes. The bill explicitly prohibits legal entities from using money to support or oppose candidates, political parties, or ballot measures, while allowing them to distribute news and editorial content through media outlets. If an entity violates these rules, the attorney general can seek administrative dissolution, and any political spending acts by the entity are automatically void and unenforceable. The legislation also establishes civil penalties and provides a process for reinstating entities that have been dissolved for violations.