Sen. Jim Abeler

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $5,392,000 from the general fund for Minnesota food shelf programs in fiscal year 2027. The funds are directed to the commissioner of children, youth, and families to support food shelf operations under Minnesota Statutes section 142F.14. The appropriation adds to the existing base funding for these programs, which provide emergency food assistance to Minnesotans facing food insecurity. It directly affects community food shelves across the state that serve individuals and families in need. The bill creates no new requirements or changes program eligibility - it solely provides dedicated funding for existing services.

Maddy summaryMinnesota bill SF 4071 amends multiple statutes to clarify and strengthen oversight requirements for medical assistance providers. It defines "controlling individual" to include key officers, compliance officers, and managerial officials responsible for program operations, while excluding certain entities like banks or minor shareholders. The bill requires license holders to designate specific staff members to manage program compliance and oversee services, ensuring accountability under existing licensing rules. This directly affects healthcare providers participating in Minnesota's medical assistance programs (like Medicaid), requiring clearer internal accountability structures for high-risk providers. The changes aim to improve program integrity through defined roles and oversight responsibilities.

Maddy summarySF 4042 requires all Minnesota public K-12 schools to implement 24/7 anonymous reporting systems by July 2028. These systems must include mobile apps, multilingual crisis centers staffed by trained professionals, and coordinated responses to threats involving students or staff. Schools must also provide evidence-based violence prevention training for students and public awareness about the system. Nonpublic schools are exempt, and the Department of Education must maintain a list of compliant third-party systems by 2027. The bill aims to improve school safety through accessible reporting while ensuring data privacy compliance.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies how Minnesota calculates compensatory aid for public school districts in fiscal year 2027. It requires districts to use the greater of their actual FY 2027 calculation or their FY 2024 calculation for determining aid amounts, protecting districts from potential funding decreases. The bill also sets a new statewide funding target of $857,152,000 for FY 2027 and later, up from previous levels. This directly affects school districts receiving compensatory aid, particularly those serving students from low-income households (based on free/reduced-price meal eligibility data).

Maddy summarySF 4023 would amend Minnesota law to allow public schools to temporarily remove kindergarten through grade 3 students for up to two days (one partial day and one full day) immediately after a disciplinary incident. This brief removal period is specifically intended to enable schools to communicate with parents or guardians about the incident and then return the student to full classroom participation. The bill maintains the general prohibition on disciplinary dismissals for these young students but creates this narrow exception for immediate communication. It does not permit longer suspensions or expulsions without meeting strict safety conditions, and takes effect for the 2026-2027 school year.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds occupational therapy services to the list of eligible services funded under Minnesota's children's mental health grants. It specifically allows grants to cover occupational therapy services for children with emotional disturbances, as defined in state law. The key mechanism is amending statutes to include "occupational therapy services" (defined as behavioral health services provided by licensed occupational therapists) under grant-eligible services for children's mental health programs. This directly affects children with emotional disturbances receiving mental health support, occupational therapists providing these services, and mental health service providers applying for these grants.

Maddy summarySF 2725 appropriates $5.25 million for fiscal year 2026 and $5.51 million for fiscal year 2027 from the general fund to the African American Child Wellness Institute. The grant funds culturally specific mental health and substance use disorder services for African American children and families of all ages, regardless of income or location. It requires the institute to enhance capacity for trauma-informed, evidence-based care, supervision, training, and care coordination. The funding includes $5.25 million added to the general fund base for fiscal year 2028 and $5.51 million for 2029 and beyond.

Maddy summarySF 3902 requires Minnesota ambulance services to collect and annually report specific prehospital care data for all emergency responses. The bill mandates reporting on call volume, dispatch reasons, response modes, transport destinations, patient fee information, and mutual aid activity by municipality. This data must be submitted to the state director of Emergency Medical Services, who will then make it publicly available each year. The requirement applies to all ambulance services operating within Minnesota's municipal boundaries and takes effect on August 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill (SF 3909) repeals a 2025 law (Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 10, article 7, section 8) that required Minnesota to assume a $250 million annual reduction in special education aid funding starting July 2027. The repeal removes the mechanism that would have triggered further funding cuts if savings from special education reforms fell short of $250 million. By eliminating this contingent reduction, the bill ensures special education aid appropriations will not be automatically reduced based on that assumption. The change takes effect July 1, 2026, directly affecting how state funding for public school special education programs is calculated.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Minnesota school districts and charter schools to continue counting all students enrolled before January 1, 2026, in their average daily membership for funding purposes through the end of the 2025-2026 school year, even if those students are not attending regularly. It directly affects school districts and charter schools by ensuring they maintain funding eligibility for students who remained enrolled but may have been absent due to circumstances like the pandemic. The key provision retroactively applies from January 1, 2026, and is limited to the 2025-2026 school year only. This change modifies existing enrollment counting rules under Minnesota Statutes section 126C.05, subdivision 11.