Sen. Lindsey Port

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a two-year grant program administered by Minnesota's Department of Health to prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (like measles) in communities with low vaccination rates. It provides funding for community health boards and nonprofit organizations serving these areas to conduct culturally appropriate vaccine education, combat misinformation, and help residents access vaccines. Grant recipients must use funds for activities such as community outreach, multilingual materials, and connecting people to free or low-cost vaccination services. The program is funded by a one-time appropriation for fiscal years 2026-2027, targeting geographic areas or populations at risk of outbreaks due to low vaccination coverage.

Maddy summaryHF 2554 designates a specific bridge on Burnsville Parkway over Interstate Highway 35W in Burnsville, Minnesota, as the "Elmstrand * Finseth * Ruge Heroes Memorial Bridge." The bill amends Minnesota Statutes section 161.14 to formally name the structure and requires the transportation commissioner to adopt appropriate signage for it. This is a commemorative measure naming a physical location, not a policy change affecting residents or creating new laws. The bridge itself is the direct subject of the designation, with no broader legislative impact beyond the memorial name and signage.

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 appropriates $7 million from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to the Pollution Control Agency. The funds are specifically designated as a grant to the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association to transport wood waste (such as tree trimmings and branches) to processing facilities. It directly affects the nursery and landscape industry by providing financial support for managing their wood waste stream. The bill creates no new regulations but allocates state funds to facilitate this waste processing activity.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $23 million from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to the Pollution Control Agency. The funds are designated as a grant to the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association to construct a wood upcycling campus. The campus will process wood waste into new products like lumber, furniture, building materials, compost, mulch, biochar, and energy. This directly affects the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association as the recipient and focuses on diverting wood waste from landfills through processing.

Maddy summaryHF 2296 clarifies that Minnesota landlords cannot disclose a tenant's status as a victim of violence, relocation address, or other sensitive information provided in tenant notices or qualifying documents. Landlords must keep this information private and cannot share it through shared databases or with third parties, except in limited legal situations like court proceedings with the tenant's consent. Violating this rule subjects landlords to $2,000 in statutory damages plus legal fees for the tenant. The law directly protects tenants who are victims of violence from potential harm or discrimination due to unauthorized disclosure. It becomes effective immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summarySF 3325 appropriates $200,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $200,000 for fiscal year 2027 from the general fund to HealthcareMN, a nonprofit organization. The funds are designated for specific programs to support healthcare innovation, including hosting a healthcare venture summit, expanding regional outreach to strengthen the Twin Cities as a healthcare innovation hub, and establishing mentorship programs connecting healthcare innovators with corporate leaders. These one-time appropriations directly affect HealthcareMN's operations and aim to benefit healthcare entrepreneurs, investors, and the broader healthcare innovation ecosystem in Minnesota. The bill focuses on funding concrete activities rather than creating new regulations or altering existing laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $3 million from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to Community Mediation Minnesota to administer a statewide family mediation pilot program. The funds will support services for grandparents and families facing disputes, including dispute resolution, increasing access to mediation, training mediators, and partnering with culturally specific programs. Key provisions require the program to provide family reconnection coaching, navigation services, and integrate with legal and court resources, while also evaluating program effectiveness. This is a one-time appropriation focused on expanding mediation access, not a law changing legal standards.

Maddy summarySF 1035 amends Minnesota's campus sexual misconduct policies by clarifying key definitions in statute 135A.15. It defines terms like "advisor" (a support person, potentially an attorney, for parties during investigations), "incident" (one report covering all related misconduct), and expands "sexual misconduct" to explicitly include nonconsensual deepfakes, stalking, and intimate partner violence. This bill directly affects Minnesota's public and private colleges/universities that handle sexual misconduct complaints under state law. The changes focus solely on terminology to ensure consistent application of existing procedures, without altering investigation or disciplinary processes.

Maddy summarySF 2205 establishes a 13-member task force to study insurance affordability for homeowners, renters, and small businesses in Minnesota. The task force, including members from insurance groups, housing organizations, and climate experts, will examine factors like risk mitigation, liability laws, coverage notice rules, reinsurance markets, and climate-related claim costs. It must submit recommendations to state agencies and legislators by February 15, 2026, after reviewing these issues. The bill appropriates $200,000 for the task force’s operations but does not enact new insurance rules. This is a study-focused bill, not a direct policy change.