Sen. Zach Duckworth

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a $10,000 income tax subtraction for Minnesota taxpayers who volunteer as fire or rescue workers, increasing to $20,000 for married couples filing jointly where both spouses qualify. It directly affects volunteer firefighters (per §299N.03), ambulance personnel, emergency medical responders, and search/rescue team members who complete at least 40 hours of qualified work annually without working full-time (1,600+ hours). The subtraction reduces taxable income, not the tax bill itself, and applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024. This policy change specifically targets volunteer emergency service workers to offset their out-of-pocket costs.

Maddy summarySF 3079 limits eligibility for Minnesota's North Star Promise scholarship to students enrolled in programs leading to careers in high-demand industries and occupations. The bill requires the Office of Higher Education to define these fields using employment data from the Department of Employment and Economic Development, focusing on the top 20 industries with the highest projected job growth or openings. It mandates the Office to review and update the list of approved programs every three years and report participation data to the legislature. This change applies to scholarship awards beginning fall 2026-2027.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $750,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $750,000 for fiscal year 2027 to fund an online early childhood educator training program. The program will be free for early childhood educators, Minnesota residents, and high school students, with $250,000 annually covering school costs (requiring at least 50% to non-metro schools). It mandates the program include accredited coursework for a child development credential, health/safety training meeting federal standards, and content covering early development from birth to age five. The program must offer accessible, interactive learning with professional development tools and data tracking for educators.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a pension offset stipend for Minnesota military service members called into state active duty. It requires the adjutant general to pay eligible service members a stipend equal to 5% of their basic pay during state service, compensating for pension inequities compared to similar federal service. The stipend applies specifically to members ordered into state active service under Governor authority, not to federal deployments. This change modifies Minnesota Statutes section 192.49, adding a new provision (subd. 2a) to address gaps in pension benefits for state-ordered service. It does not alter base pay rates ($130/day minimum or federal equivalent) but adds this targeted compensation.

Maddy summarySF 2995 modifies Minnesota's teacher licensure rules for new educators. It requires Tier 1 license holders to pass content exams and complete cultural competency training to renew their license up to three times (with unlimited renewals for career education or high-need subject areas). The bill also creates a three-year temporary permission for licensed teachers to teach outside their licensed subject area without changing their license tier. These changes directly affect new teachers seeking licensure and school districts hiring them in Minnesota, effective July 2025.

Maddy summaryMinnesota Senate File 1670 modifies teacher shortage reporting requirements in Minnesota. It updates the definition of "shortage area" to include regions where Indigenous and people of color teachers don't match student diversity, and requires the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board to submit annual reports starting November 2025. These reports must include specific data on teacher supply and demand, such as retirement patterns, licensure, diversity gaps, and detailed field-specific shortages (e.g., special education, STEM, ESL). School districts must also provide data on unfilled teaching assignments and hires by license tier. The changes take effect July 1, 2025, with the first detailed field report due February 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the commissioner of commerce as the sole overseer of two existing programs: the Commerce Fraud Bureau (focused on insurance and financial crimes) and the automobile theft prevention program. It requires the Commerce Fraud Bureau to dedicate at least 70% of its efforts to investigating insurance fraud as defined in state law. The commissioner will now have full authority over both programs' operations, personnel, and oversight, replacing prior arrangements. These changes clarify the commissioner's direct responsibility for these initiatives under Minnesota Statutes.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management to review all verified social equity applicants before considering general licensing applications for cannabis licenses. It directly affects cannabis business applicants who qualify as social equity applicants (typically from communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition) versus general applicants. The key provision mandates that the Office must complete all reviews of verified social equity applicants in a given licensing period before moving to general applications. This changes the review order but does not alter the number of licenses available for either category. The amendment updates Minnesota Statutes section 342.14, subdivision 4.

Maddy summarySF 1702 prohibits the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources from selling any state-owned land located within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). It repeals Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 92.82, which previously permitted the sale of such land to the U.S. government. The bill applies broadly to all state-owned lands in the wilderness, including those acquired through condemnation or university grants, but does not block land exchanges. This change ends the state's ability to sell these lands, which were previously eligible under the repealed law.

Maddy summarySF 2890 amends Minnesota law to allow licensed cannabis retailers to give away samples at cannabis events, which was previously prohibited. The bill permits retailers to offer one sample per product type (cannabis plants, flower, products, or edibles), with strict limits: samples cannot exceed 8 grams of flower/concentrate or 100mg THC in edibles. Samples must be stored in labeled containers, displayed securely, and not sold to anyone under 21 or visibly intoxicated. This change directly affects authorized cannabis retailers hosting events, modifying existing rules to permit controlled sampling while maintaining safety and age verification requirements.