Sen. Ann Rest

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Minnesota's education commissioner to create a model elementary school curriculum focused on developing legible cursive handwriting by the end of fifth grade, including instructional materials. It appropriates funds from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to provide grants to school districts that adopt cursive handwriting curricula. The bill directly affects Minnesota public elementary schools receiving these grants, enabling them to implement cursive instruction. Key provisions include the curriculum development mandate and the dedicated funding stream for school district adoption.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance plans in Minnesota to cover all FDA-approved medical services and prescription medications for dementia treatment, including diagnostic testing. It prohibits health plans from using step therapy (requiring patients to try less effective or cheaper treatments first) for these dementia treatments. The law applies to health plans offered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, directly affecting Minnesotans with dementia and their insurance providers. It also modifies prior authorization rules for certain medications but centers on guaranteeing access to dementia-specific care without restrictive coverage hurdles.

Maddy summarySF 3601 authorizes the city of Plymouth to impose a local sales and use tax of up to 0.5% (one-half of one percent) on taxable purchases, pending voter approval. The tax revenues must fund specific projects: $45 million for Plymouth Ice Center improvements (including a parking ramp), $40 million for Plymouth Community Center upgrades (including a fieldhouse), and $35 million for regional sports complexes. The city may also issue up to $120 million in bonds to finance these projects, with the tax repaying the bonds, and the tax would expire after 20 years or when project costs are fully covered. This bill directly affects Plymouth residents and businesses through the new tax, while directing funds toward local recreational infrastructure.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a refundable sales tax exemption for construction materials used in specific water infrastructure projects in Woodbury, Minnesota. It exempts purchases of materials for water treatment facilities, water towers, pipelines, and related improvements (made between February 2024 and December 2028) from state sales tax, with the tax collected and then refunded. The city of Woodbury directly benefits as the funding source for these projects, and refunds are delayed until after June 30, 2025. The exemption applies retroactively to purchases made after January 31, 2024.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota's rules for handling excess tax increments in tax increment financing districts. It requires local authorities to return any excess funds to the county auditor within nine months after December 31 each year, rather than spending them as previously allowed. If returned, the county auditor must distribute these funds to the city, county, and school district in proportion to their local tax rates. The changes apply to all districts starting with 2026 excess increment determinations.

Maddy summarySF 3592 authorizes the city of Robbinsdale to impose a local sales and use tax of up to 0.5% (half a percent) on retail purchases, subject to voter approval. The tax revenues must cover the city's administrative costs for collecting the tax and fund up to $40 million in costs for the Public Works Facility Project, including associated bond financing. The city may issue bonds up to $40 million without being subject to standard debt limits or requiring a separate bond election. The tax expires after 20 years or once project costs are fully covered, whichever comes first.

Maddy summaryThe bill HF 16, titled "Data center regulatory bill," aims to establish regulatory frameworks for data centers in the state. However, the provided context does not include the bill's specific provisions, such as environmental standards, permitting requirements, or tax incentives it may introduce, nor does it identify which entities or communities would be directly affected. The recent actions (adding authors and committee referral to Elections Finance and Government Operations) describe procedural steps but do not clarify the bill's policy content. Without details on the regulatory mechanisms or scope, a substantive summary of the policy changes cannot be provided. For a factual summary, the bill's text or committee report would be needed.

Maddy summaryHF 9 is a comprehensive tax reform bill that modifies multiple tax provisions across Minnesota. It directly affects individuals (through changes to income tax brackets and credits), businesses (including data centers losing electricity tax exemptions), and local governments (by eliminating cannabis aid funding). Key provisions include making the research and development tax credit partially refundable, increasing taxes on cannabis products, and removing the sales tax exemption for electricity at data centers. The bill also adjusts property tax exemptions, modifies corporate franchise taxes, and makes technical changes to various tax statutes.

Maddy summarySF 19 modifies environmental and energy regulations for data centers in Minnesota. It requires data centers planning to use over 100 million gallons of water annually to provide preapplication water use data (including volume estimates and sources) to state agencies. The bill also mandates that permitting inquiries for such data centers be referred to the Minnesota Business First Stop program and requires water conservation measures - like recycling and closed-loop systems - in new or modified water permits. These changes apply specifically to large data centers meeting the water use threshold and take effect upon final enactment.

Maddy summarySF 20 is a comprehensive tax bill modifying multiple tax systems in Minnesota. It removes the sales tax exemption for electricity used by data centers (affecting tech companies), increases taxes on cannabis products, and eliminates local cannabis aid. The bill also makes the research and development tax credit partially refundable for businesses and repeals the controlled substance tax. Additionally, it adjusts property tax exemptions, modifies sales tax payment rules for vendors, and updates political contribution refund processes.