Sen. Julia Coleman

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies several school bus-related regulations in Minnesota. It increases penalties for drivers who violate school bus stop-signal laws, requires annual school bus inspection reports with specific content, and allows public transit operators to perform third-party safety testing. The bill also expands eligibility for electric school bus grants to include propane-powered buses. These changes primarily affect school bus operators, transit companies, and local school districts responsible for school transportation safety and fleet management.

Maddy summarySF 1572 creates a new assessment on health insurance claims to fund state programs. It targets health plan companies (including insurers and self-insured employers) by assessing a fee based on their "claims-related expenses," defined as costs like utilization review, case management, and administrative fees. The bill establishes specific definitions for terms like "paid claims" and "claims-related expenses" to determine the assessment amount. This policy change directly affects health insurance providers by adding a new cost tied to their administrative operations. The assessment would be implemented under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 295, as proposed in the bill.

Maddy summarySF 2336 appropriates $8 million from the state general fund for WomenVenture, a nonprofit, to support women-owned businesses in Minnesota. The funds will directly assist women child care providers (through business training and materials to expand in underserved areas) and women food entrepreneurs (through business expansion support, technical assistance, and workforce development). Eligible uses include business equipment, lease improvements, inventory, and working capital - funding can be grants, loans, or forgivable loans, with up to 5% for administrative costs. WomenVenture must report by December 2028 on how funds were distributed, including county-level breakdowns and repayment details.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases local optional aid for Minnesota schools and limits state-paid free school lunches to families with incomes at or below 500% of the federal poverty level. It creates a "free enhanced school meals program" requiring participating schools (those with high student poverty rates) to provide two free, federally reimbursable meals daily to all eligible students. The bill amends funding formulas to adjust state aid payments for school lunch programs based on this new income threshold, effective for fiscal year 2026. It directly affects Minnesota public schools participating in the National School Lunch Program and their students from households meeting the income criteria.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota's requirements for publishing public notices. It requires local governments to post notices online on their own websites and the Minnesota Newspaper Association's statewide public notice website when no qualified newspaper is available for publication. The online posting must continue until a qualified newspaper can be identified, with no additional cost to the local government. This change applies to public notices mandated by law, rule, or ordinance.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits social media platforms from allowing minors under 14 to create accounts, requiring automatic termination of existing accounts for this age group with a 90-day dispute period. For 14- and 15-year-olds, platforms must obtain parental consent for account creation or maintenance, terminating accounts without consent after 90 days. The law mandates permanent deletion of all personal data when accounts are terminated. It applies to platforms meeting specific criteria (e.g., addictive features like infinite scrolling, 10% of daily users under 16 spending 2+ hours daily) and directly affects social media companies operating in Minnesota serving minors.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates the Transportation Advisory Board, a body that previously provided input on transportation policy to the Metropolitan Council. It modifies the Metropolitan Council's governance by amending appointment procedures for its 44 members, including changes to how county commissioners and local representatives are selected. The bill also removes provisions related to the Transportation Advisory Board from state law (repealing Laws 1994, chapter 628, article 1, section 8). These changes directly affect the Metropolitan Council's structure and transportation stakeholders who previously engaged with the Advisory Board.

Maddy summarySF 1469 requires Minnesota schools to include student attendance data in existing individual assessment reports sent to parents. Specifically, these reports must now show the number and percentage of days a student was absent during the previous school year. The bill directly affects public schools, school districts, and charter schools, which must update their reporting systems to comply. This change applies to all student assessment reports distributed under Minnesota Statutes section 120B.305, starting July 1, 2025. The requirement adds attendance information to current reports without altering attendance policies or assessment methods.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Minnesota public high schools to administer a nationally recognized college entrance exam (such as the ACT or SAT) to all students in grades 11 or 12 at no cost to students, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The Minnesota Department of Education must contract with an exam provider through competitive bidding, ensuring data privacy safeguards and transparency about test content. School districts must cover exam fees for students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, while students not eligible may be required to pay (with fee waivers available). The exam is mandated to meet federal accountability requirements but is not a high school graduation requirement.

Maddy summarySF 1788 appropriates $20 million from state bonds to fund grants for metropolitan cities in Minnesota to reduce stormwater and groundwater entering municipal wastewater systems (inflow and infiltration). Eligible cities must be identified by the Metropolitan Council as contributors of excessive inflow/infiltration or near allowable limits, and grants cover up to 50% of eligible capital improvement costs for system upgrades. The funds come from bonds issued under Minnesota law, with the Metropolitan Council distributing grants based on city applications and established guidelines. This directly affects cities within the metro area defined under Minnesota Statutes §473.121, focusing on infrastructure improvements to reduce strain on regional sewer systems.