Sen. Matt Klein

Maddy summaryThis bill requires venues hosting entertainment events (like concerts or festivals) to provide attendees with access to drinkable water during the event. Specifically, it mandates that venues must either offer free bottled water, allow attendees to bring their own bottled water, or provide water refill stations for attendees to fill empty bottles. The requirement applies to all "places of entertainment" as defined in Minnesota law during active entertainment. This policy directly affects event venues across Minnesota, ensuring basic hydration access for attendees without imposing cost on them.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota's definition of a "debt buyer" to clarify that businesses purchasing unpaid medical bills for collection purposes are considered debt buyers, while excluding nonprofits buying accounts for charitable reasons. It appropriates $5 million from the general fund for a one-time grant to Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit organization, to relieve medical debt for eligible Minnesotans who couldn't pay after hospitals completed reasonable collection efforts. The grant is available until June 30, 2028, and requires Undue Medical Debt to report recipient data to the Commerce Commissioner and Attorney General. The bill directly affects debt collection practices and provides targeted financial relief for residents burdened by unaffordable medical bills.

Maddy summarySF 509 modifies Minnesota's health licensing rules to create a "limited license" for foreign medical graduates who practiced outside the U.S. for at least 60 months in the past decade. It requires these license holders to work in designated rural or underserved areas under collaborative agreements with U.S. physicians, submit periodic certification, and be paid at least resident-level wages. Employers must carry medical malpractice insurance for these license holders and cannot retaliate against them for reporting violations. The bill also establishes a path to a full license after two years of practice (1,692 hours annually), passing all USMLE/COMLEX exams, and providing employer recommendations. This directly affects foreign-trained doctors seeking to practice in Minnesota, particularly in underserved communities.

Maddy summarySF 2815 establishes a quarterly refund system for Minnesota pharmacies that sell prescription drugs (referred to as "legend drugs") to customers outside Minnesota. Pharmacies can claim refunds equal to the tax they paid to distributors on those out-of-state sales, calculated using Minnesota's tax rate. Refund requests must be filed quarterly based on when the drugs were delivered (e.g., by July 1 for Q1 sales), and must be submitted within one year of the delivery date. The program becomes effective for sales occurring after December 31, 2025.

Maddy summarySF 3290 establishes the Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crimes Advisory Board to advise Minnesota's Commissioner of Public Safety on combating organized retail theft and supply chain crime. The board includes 16 members representing law enforcement (police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors), retailers (Minnesota Retailers Association, grocers, trucking associations), tribal representatives, and federal agencies. Its key duties are to develop statewide strategies, identify crime trends and connections to other crimes (like drug trafficking), address online retail impacts, and recommend protocols for multijurisdictional enforcement. The bill also creates a statewide coordinator role to oversee enforcement coordination, training, and business education programs, with no expiration date for the advisory board.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota's maximum interest rate for certain loans and contracts for deed. It sets the cap at the Federal National Mortgage Association's 30-year mortgage yield (as published in the Wall Street Journal) plus four percentage points, rather than using previous formulas. The change directly affects borrowers and lenders involved in conventional loans, cooperative apartment loans, and contracts for deed for specific real estate purchases. The bill also includes separate provisions about insurer capital calculations and liquidity stress testing, but the primary focus is on updating the interest rate cap mechanism.

Maddy summarySF 2457 amends Minnesota's insurance laws to authorize the commissioner of commerce to issue data calls to insurance companies for regulatory oversight, requiring companies to provide specific data within a reasonable timeframe. It classifies all data submitted in response to these calls as "nonpublic" (not subject to public disclosure or subpoena), though the commissioner may create public summaries from the data. The bill also establishes a new regulatory framework for limited long-term care insurance and modifies provisions related to automobile insurance. Additionally, it permits the commissioner to share nonpublic data with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) if the NAIC agrees to maintain it as nonpublic.

Maddy summarySF 1024 establishes a new 20% premium subsidy program through MNsure (Minnesota's health insurance marketplace) for eligible residents purchasing individual health insurance plans starting January 1, 2026. It directly affects Minnesotans who buy individual market coverage but don't qualify for federal tax credits or public programs like Medicaid, reducing their monthly premium costs by 20% of the full plan price. The program reimburses health insurance carriers directly for the subsidy amount each month, with payments based on the premium subsidy amount regardless of the specific plan cost. The bill also ends the existing Minnesota Premium Security Plan (a reinsurance program) by December 31, 2025, with funds appropriated for the new subsidy program.

Maddy summarySF 3281 regulates "earned wage access services" that allow Minnesota workers to access a portion of their earned but unpaid wages before their regular payday through third-party providers. The bill directly affects Minnesota residents who use these services and the companies providing them (like apps or payroll services), excluding traditional payroll providers and employer-provided early pay. Key provisions require providers to clearly disclose all fees, offer a no-cost access option, explain consumer rights upfront, allow easy cancellation without fees, and ensure tips are truly voluntary - never tied to service access. The law also mandates transparency about repayment terms and compliance with privacy laws. This bill focuses on consumer protections for a growing financial service, not on changing how employers pay wages.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a Consumer Protection Restitution Account to handle funds recovered by the Minnesota Attorney General in consumer enforcement actions. It requires 50% of money recovered in such cases (that isn't designated for specific compensation) to be deposited into this account, while the other 50% goes to the general fund. The account funds are used to distribute unpaid restitution to eligible consumers (victims of unlawful business practices) who have final court orders but haven't received compensation, prioritizing cases with the oldest final orders. This directly affects consumers who were victims of fraud or deceptive practices and the Attorney General's office managing these funds.