Sen. Cal Bahr

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $900,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $650,000 for fiscal year 2027 to establish, equip, operate, and staff a new motor vehicle inspection site. It directly affects the commissioner of public safety (who will receive the funds) and Minnesotans who require vehicle inspections. The bill requires maintaining all existing inspection sites as of January 1, 2025, ensures regional balance in site locations, and mandates two geographically balanced sites in the seven-county metro area. These funds specifically cover costs for a new inspection site, not changes to inspection requirements or fees.

Maddy summarySF 1021 would repeal Minnesota's current authorization for absentee ballot drop boxes. The bill amends statute 203B.08 to remove the option for voters to deposit ballots in drop boxes and repeals statute 203B.082, which established security requirements for those drop boxes (like 24-hour recording and weatherproofing). This change directly affects voters who use drop boxes and election officials who manage them, eliminating a method for returning absentee ballots. The bill makes no new provisions for ballot return; it simply removes the existing drop box authorization.

Maddy summarySF 997 amends Minnesota law to require that subscribers to community solar gardens must reside in the same county as the solar facility, removing the previous allowance for subscribers in contiguous counties. This change directly affects potential subscribers who currently live in neighboring counties but would no longer qualify under the new requirement. The bill modifies Minnesota Statutes section 216B.1641, specifically changing the residency rule from "same county or contiguous county" to "same county" for all community solar garden subscriptions. The policy change applies to all new and existing community solar programs under this statute, limiting participation to residents within the facility's immediate county. This is a straightforward geographic eligibility adjustment with no other changes to subscription size, ownership limits, or program structure.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota's tax refund process to include interest on estimated tax payments when taxpayers receive refunds. It directly affects individual income tax filers and businesses (like S corporations, partnerships, and corporations) that paid estimated taxes during the year and later overpaid their tax liability. The key change requires refunds to include interest calculated from the date each estimated tax payment was made until either the refund claim date or the original tax due date. This interest uses the same rate applied to taxes paid to the state under existing rules. The change applies to refunds for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Minnesota counties and cities to create and maintain written procedures covering their operations, including fee collections, licensing, service delivery, and administrative processes, and make these available to the public. The procedures must be accessible at local offices or online, with clear instructions on how to access them, including the location of physical copies if posted digitally. For fees and assessments, the manuals must detail required forms, due dates, and consequences of late payments. Law enforcement procedures require approval from the chief law enforcement officer before inclusion, and the bill excludes information already barred from public access under state law. The requirement applies to all counties and cities, including home rule charter cities.

Maddy summarySF 996 prohibits organizations receiving state funding from spending money on political activities. It applies to any entity, including nonprofits, that gets state money through direct appropriations, grants, or competitive funding. The law bans all campaign expenditures or political spending by these organizations, effective July 1, 2025. This directly affects nonprofits, schools, or community groups receiving state funds, preventing them from supporting political candidates or causes with public dollars.

Maddy summarySF 610 requires Minnesota state agencies to obtain legislative approval before new rules take effect. After an agency publishes a notice of adopting a rule in the State Register, the rule cannot become effective until the legislature passes a law specifically approving it. The bill also updates notice requirements to clearly show how adopted rules differ from proposed versions, ensuring public transparency. This change applies to all new rules published in the State Register on or after the bill's effective date.

Maddy summarySF 938 increases Minnesota's estate tax exclusion amount from $3 million to $6 million for estates of decedents dying after June 30, 2025. This change directly affects estates with total assets exceeding $6 million, meaning more estates will be exempt from Minnesota estate tax. The bill amends Minnesota Statutes sections 289A.10 and 291.016 to adjust the "general subtraction amount" used in calculating taxable estate. It does not change the federal estate tax threshold but aligns Minnesota's exclusion with current federal law. The effective date is for estates of decedents dying after June 30, 2025.

Maddy summarySF 789 proposes a constitutional amendment to limit Minnesota legislators to 10 years total service in either the Senate or House of Representatives during their lifetime. If approved by voters in the 2026 general election, the amendment would add a new provision to Article IV, Section 4 of the state constitution, preventing any individual from serving more than 10 years in a single chamber. The bill specifies that terms ending in 2027 or earlier would not count toward this limit. The amendment would require voter approval before taking effect, with the question on the ballot asking whether the constitution should be amended to impose these term limits.

Maddy summarySF 764 establishes the "Defend the Guard Act" to restrict Minnesota National Guard deployments. It prohibits sending the Guard or its members into "active duty combat" without either a formal U.S. Congressional declaration of war or specific congressional action under the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 15) to call the Guard for specific purposes like repelling invasion or suppressing insurrection. The bill requires the governor to take all necessary actions to comply with this restriction. It does not affect other deployments, such as those under Title 32 of the U.S. Code for domestic civil support missions. This directly affects Minnesota National Guard members and the state's authority to deploy them for combat operations.