Sen. Zach Duckworth

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a trusted contact program for financial services customers in Minnesota to help prevent and address financial exploitation and fraud. It allows customers to designate a trusted adult contact who can be reached by financial institutions in emergencies, when contact is lost, or when fraud is suspected. The bill also permits financial institutions to report suspected fraud or exploitation to law enforcement without liability and limits legal responsibility for both institutions and trusted contacts who act in good faith. Additionally, it allows banks to offer optional account features that let trusted contacts view account activity and set transaction limits for enhanced security.

Maddy summaryHF 3437 modifies Minnesota's rules on residential mortgage loan fees and penalties. It clarifies that these rules apply only to loans made primarily for personal, family, or household purposes, not all residential loans. The bill affects both in-state and out-of-state mortgage originators operating in Minnesota. The changes take effect August 1, 2026, applying to loans executed on or after that date. This amendment narrows the scope of existing fee and penalty restrictions.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Minnesota's organized retail theft law to explicitly include gift card fraud as a form of retail theft. It defines "retail merchandise" to cover all gift cards (both physical and digital) and specifies that the "value" of stolen gift cards includes their full face value. Retailers and law enforcement will now have a clearer legal framework for prosecuting gift card fraud under existing organized retail theft statutes. The change takes effect August 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies deadlines for professional development training related to Minnesota's Read Act. It requires school districts to provide evidence-based training to specific educators by July 1, 2026 (including K-3 classroom teachers and reading intervention staff) and by July 1, 2027 (for grades 4-12 reading teachers). The bill also allows districts to reduce elementary students' instructional hours by 5.5 hours during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years if teachers receive required training on days when other students are learning. This change applies to all public and charter schools meeting the training agreement requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies Minnesota's gambling laws by increasing the maximum cash prize for paddle tickets from $70 to $200 and raising the maximum ticket price from $2 to $5. It directly affects gambling organizations that sell paddle tickets, which are a type of lottery game. The changes are made to Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 349.211, subdivision 2b, which governs paddlewheel prizes.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes Minnesota law enforcement agencies to hold individuals for up to 48 hours after their arrest if the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued an immigration detainer. It applies only to people who are not U.S. citizens or do not have lawful immigration status, and it protects officers from liability if they act in good faith while following these procedures. Under the law, a court's order to release a defendant is paused during this holding period to allow time for a secure transfer to federal authorities, but the person remains under the court's jurisdiction and can still post bail. If federal officials do not take custody within the 48-hour window, the individual must be released immediately provided all other bail conditions are met.

Maddy summaryThis Minnesota bill requires large social media platforms to implement specific protections for users under 18, including restrictions on addictive features like infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, and personalized feeds. The law applies to platforms earning at least $1 billion in annual advertising revenue and defines "children" as individuals aged 15 and younger, while "minors" are under 18. Key provisions prohibit displaying personal metrics such as follower counts or engagement statistics for accounts belonging to children, and limit push notifications designed to encourage continued use. Parents retain the right to review their children's online activity and receive notifications about data collection practices in compliance with existing federal privacy standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands survivor benefits for public safety officers in Minnesota by including deaths caused by exposure-related cancers as "killed in the line of duty." It directly affects families of public safety officers who develop specific cancers linked to carcinogens encountered during their work. The legislation defines exposure-related cancer to include 21 types such as lung, bladder, and leukemia cancers, and establishes criteria requiring exposure to occur while on duty, a minimum five-year service period before diagnosis, and a maximum 15-year window between last active service and cancer diagnosis. The bill also creates a legal presumption that these cancers directly resulted from occupational exposure unless medical evidence proves otherwise, and sets up a review process to update the list of covered cancers every three years.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows actively licensed peace officers in Minnesota to buy firearms by showing their official badge or government ID instead of a standard transferee permit. The law treats an officer's valid employment identification as legally equivalent to the special permit usually required for such purchases. It directly affects current Minnesota peace officers who need to acquire firearms for official use. The change simplifies the buying process by removing the need for officers to apply for and wait on a separate permit.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires school districts in Minnesota that span multiple counties to designate at least one polling place within each county where more than 5,000 registered voters live. It also mandates that voters receive a mailed notice about special elections, which must include the election date, hours, polling location, the cost of holding the election, and the amount saved by using combined polling places. The notice must be sent at least 14 days before the election and posted on the school district's website, with specific exceptions for certain election dates and mail-in only elections. These changes directly affect school districts conducting special elections across county lines and the voters participating in those elections.