Sen. Ron Latz

Maddy summarySF 3196 is a one-time funding bill addressing budget deficiencies for Minnesota's Department of Corrections. It allocates specific amounts for immediate needs, including $12.6 million to cover 2023 financial obligations, $1 million for body-worn cameras for correctional staff, $1.5 million for radio system upgrades, and $500,000 for Prison Rape Elimination Act compliance. The bill also funds health services ($2.75 million), educational programming ($5.6 million first year), family support ($480,000 annually), and reentry initiatives ($375,000 first year for Native American programs). These appropriations directly support correctional facility operations, staff equipment, inmate services, and safety programs within the Department of Corrections.

Maddy summarySF 2068 extends license suspensions for repeat impaired driving offenders, increasing penalties to up to six years for four or more prior convictions. It modifies ignition interlock program rules by requiring all participants to complete a treatment or rehabilitation program before regaining full driving privileges. The bill directly affects drivers convicted of driving while impaired (DWI) with prior offenses and those enrolled in Minnesota's ignition interlock program. These changes amend specific sections of Minnesota Statutes related to license revocations and interlock participation requirements.

Maddy summarySF 3289 is a technical correction bill that makes minor, non-substantive updates to Minnesota's existing statutes. It corrects errors, obsolete references, and redundant language across over 60 sections of Minnesota Statutes, without changing any policy or affecting specific groups. The bill focuses solely on improving the accuracy and consistency of legal text, such as fixing misplaced commas or outdated citations. This type of "Revisor's bill" is routine and does not create new laws or alter how current laws function.

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates funding for Minnesota's judiciary and public safety agencies, including courts, public defense, and corrections. It provides specific budget amounts for entities like the Supreme Court, district courts, and the Board of Public Defense for fiscal years 2026-2027. The bill also includes minor policy updates, such as extending protections for correctional employees against false emergency reports and modifying mental health program rules. Its primary purpose is to fund existing operations rather than create new policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits naming state laws, councils, buildings, roads, or other facilities after living people for laws enacted on or after July 1, 2025. It amends Minnesota Statutes section 10.49 to explicitly ban such naming practices for both legislation and physical entities. The change applies only to future laws and facilities, taking effect the day after final enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies data protection rules for income property tax information in Minnesota. It requires that detailed financial data about rental properties (like rent figures, vacancy rates, and lease details) classified as private under existing law must be shared during tax disputes, with strict safeguards. The bill mandates protective court orders to prevent misuse or public disclosure of this data during Tax Court proceedings. It directly affects property owners (who provide the data), tax courts, and assessors (who collect and handle the information). The key change allows this data to be used in legal challenges to property valuations without being blocked solely due to its private classification.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota's definition of "debt buyer" to exclude nonprofit organizations purchasing charged-off debts for charitable purposes. It appropriates $5 million from the general fund for a one-time grant to the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to relieve medical debt for eligible Minnesotans who couldn't pay after hospitals completed reasonable collection efforts. The funds are available until June 30, 2028, and the nonprofit must report on the number and characteristics of residents receiving debt relief. This directly affects medical debtors and clarifies the regulatory status of charitable debt-buying nonprofits.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides compensation to individuals wrongfully convicted and later exonerated in Minnesota. It creates an exoneration compensation account in the state's special revenue fund and authorizes preliminary payments of $5,000 per year of incarceration or $2,500 per year of supervised release (including time as a registered predatory offender) if the prosecutor agrees before a petition is filed that the original charges likely wouldn't have been filed with full knowledge of the circumstances. These preliminary payments, which are deducted from any final compensation, are funded by an initial $250,000 transfer from the general fund, with the account replenished to maintain that balance after payments are made.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies court procedures in St. Louis County. It changes where court documents must be filed (e.g., cases tried in Virginia or Hibbing now file at local offices instead of the county seat), updates how judgments affect real estate liens, and eliminates the requirement to certify certain juvenile court expenses. It also updates conservatorship reporting rules to require annual updates on estate assets and clear contact information. These changes affect local courts, judges, court administrators, and residents involved in county court cases in St. Louis County.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Minnesota state correctional facilities and certain human services programs (like treatment facilities) to provide free voice communication services (phone calls) and other communication options (like video calls or messaging) to people under their care. It prohibits charging incarcerated or confined individuals for these services and bans facilities from profiting through communication contracts. The bill also mandates that facilities maintain in-person visitation programs, ensuring video calls cannot replace face-to-face visits unless during declared emergencies. Facilities must report annually on communication contracts, spending, and service usage to the Department of Corrections.