Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee approved the March 22, 2022 minutes and then took up House File 3768, a bill to reform Minnesota’s structured settlement transfer law. Representative Cagle and supporters, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, argued that current law does not adequately protect injured and often vulnerable settlement recipients from predatory factoring companies that buy future payments for pennies on the dollar. Testifiers said the bill would give courts clearer standards, allow appointment of independent evaluators, strengthen disclosure requirements, and curb abusive marketing practices while still allowing legitimate transfers. Supportive testimony also came from the Minnesota Association for Justice and the Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council, both of which said the bill would improve consumer protections and preserve the purpose of structured settlements. The National Association of Settlement Purchasers said it could not support the bill as introduced but was engaged in discussions and hoped to reach a compromise. Representative Rasmussen noted some concerns with provisions in the bill but said he appreciated the effort to protect consumers while allowing appropriate transactions to continue. The committee then voted on HF 3768 and recommended it be placed on the General Register by a vote of 14 ayes and 3 nays. After that, the committee moved to House File 2824, which Representative Lee described as a consumer-protection bill requiring car dealers to disclose vehicle prices before a consumer expresses interest or enters a purchase transaction. The bill was amended with the A22 amendment and laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill. Public testimony on the auto pricing bills included a Spanish-language witness describing being pressured into buying a car without being told the price until the end, and another witness describing misleading dealership practices affecting low-income communities of color and immigrants.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Education Policy Committee met remotely, approved the March 21, 2022 minutes by voice vote, and then heard House File 4233, which Representative Edelson moved to the Committee on Education Finance. The bill was presented as a response to special education teacher shortages and paperwork burdens, with the author and testifiers arguing that built-in due process time during the school day would help teachers complete IEPs, evaluations, meetings, and other required documentation without working nights and weekends. Testimony from a special educator, a special education teacher from Moorhead, and a Legal Aid attorney emphasized that the paperwork is legally required, time-consuming, and important for student progress and parent participation, while also noting that lack of time can strain school-family relationships. Representative Erickson questioned whether the proposal should instead be handled through collective bargaining and asked what the Department of Education has done to reduce paperwork. Representative Edelson responded that the problem is inconsistent across districts and that the bill would create a more consistent framework; she also said special education teachers face roughly 300 required forms. A Department of Education representative described prior efforts to reduce burden, including a simplified special education system template, changes allowing standalone functional behavioral assessments, reduced short-term assessment and IEP requirements, guidance on conciliation conference language, prior written notice work, and monitoring assistance that reduced district record review requirements. Representative Frazier supported the bill as a way to preserve direct services for students. The committee then took a roll-call vote on the motion to refer House File 4233 to Education Finance. The motion passed 12-6, and the bill was referred. After that, the committee moved to House File 3401, but took no action that day; House Research began a walkthrough of the DE amendment, which included changes to online learning, American Indian education data and aid, special education services in care and treatment facilities, ethnic studies and indigenous education standards, arts and CTE requirements, World’s Best Workforce reporting, and a new grant program to close educational opportunity gaps.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up House File 3401 but announced it would not take action on the bill or the DE amendment that day. House Research provided a detailed walkthrough of the DE amendment, and the chair said the committee would return on Friday to formally move the bill, adopt the DE amendment, and then consider any amendments to the amendment. Public testimony followed the walkthrough. The DE amendment is a broad education omnibus touching general education, standards, discipline, teacher policy, charter schools, health and safety, and nutrition/library provisions. Major topics included replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day; expanding and restructuring online learning rules; revising American Indian education definitions and aid calculations; adding ethnic studies, Indigenous education, and arts standards; changing World’s Best Workforce reporting; creating a new opportunity gaps grant; revising discipline and restrictive procedure rules; and updating charter school, teacher licensure, and teacher diversity provisions. It also included school health measures such as substance misuse instruction, bullying and malicious conduct provisions, hotline posters, and opiate antagonists. Commissioner Heather Mueller testified in support of the bill and said it aligns with the governor’s education policy goals and the Due North plan. She emphasized safe and welcoming schools, non-exclusionary discipline, ethnic studies and Indigenous education, and American Indian education provisions. She specifically supported limiting suspensions for younger students and described the bill as helping keep students in class and close achievement gaps. No votes were taken during this meeting.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up House File 3605, a broadband bill authored by Representative Rasmussen. Before discussion, the DE2 amendment was adopted by voice vote. Rasmussen said the amendment incorporated Senate language based on Rural Broadband Coalition feedback, added a $5 million annual cap for three years, included reporting requirements, and made easement-related changes requested by electric co-ops and railroads. Rasmussen described the bill as addressing two broadband deployment barriers. First, it creates a line-extension program allowing the Office of Broadband to use Border-to-Border grant funds for smaller projects serving one or a few unserved addresses, using a portal and reverse-auction process to award the lowest-cost bidder, with a $25,000 maximum project cost. Second, it extends to all broadband providers the easement rights previously granted to electric cooperatives, which supporters said would help avoid federal preemption concerns and improve competitive neutrality. Supportive testimony came from Anna Boroff of Minnesota Cable, Tony Mendoza, Sarah Erickson of the Minnesota Regional Rail Association, and Sarah Pasic of Otter Tail County, all of whom said the bill would help reach hard-to-serve homes and businesses and supported the amendment. Members asked about the timeline for statewide broadband access and whether more legislation would be needed. Rasmussen said the bill itself does not include an appropriation, only the cap, and that the new tool would take time to build while larger grants remain the main funding mechanism. Boroff said the state now has significant resources but deployment will not happen overnight because of supply chain and workforce constraints, though she was optimistic it could be done in a few years. The committee then voted 12-0 to recommend the amended bill be re-referred to the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up House File 26. Representative Leschlegard moved that the bill be laid over for possible inclusion, and Representative McDonald offered the A1 author’s amendment. The amendment was explained as a technical update changing the effective date from tax year 2020 to tax year 2021 because the bill had been introduced the previous year. The chair called for a voice vote on the A1 amendment, and it was adopted. After the amendment passed, the chair laid over House File 26 as amended. Representative Jurgens indicated he would also be fine with the bill being moved to Ways and Means if the chair chose to do so.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard Senate File 2291, authored by Senator Duckworth, which would allow certified deaf interpreters (CDIs) to qualify for school employment interpreting services for deaf and hard of hearing students. Testifiers, including Jimmy Belden, Dove Nathan, Alicia Elaine Outlaw of the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing, and Vincent Clark, described barriers students face when CDIs are not recognized and argued that CDIs provide better language access, cultural understanding, and, for deafblind students, protactile communication. They said the change would improve educational access and reduce cognitive burden on students. A fiscal note discussion followed, with staff explaining that the estimate assumes about 10 additional CDIs would be hired, increasing special education aid by about $268,000 in fiscal year 2023 and about $305,000 annually thereafter. Senator Duckworth moved that Senate File 2291 be approved and referred to the Senate Finance Committee, and the motion passed unanimously. Senator Isaacson briefly thanked the author for advancing the issue. The committee then took up Senate File 3818, the Skills Path bill by Senator Coleman. The committee adopted the A2 amendment, which made technical changes, clarified program language, added energy as an example career pathway, and adjusted grant administration language and references. Senator Coleman described the bill as creating a Skills Path designation for programs that connect high school students to skilled trades and other career pathways through dual credit, concurrent enrollment, experiential learning, and grants for development and marketing. Testimony from Amy Wallstein of the Minnesota Business Partnership and Pat Devine, superintendent of Waconia Public Schools, supported the bill as a way to make career pathways clearer and to strengthen the skilled workforce pipeline. Elaine DeSalvo of the Office of Higher Education said the amendment incorporated the office’s input and had little left to add. Steve Kalina of the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association also testified in support, emphasizing the need to better promote trades and high-skill manufacturing careers to students and parents.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard Senate File 3738, a proposal by Sen. Rosen to dedicate 1% of lottery-in-lieu revenue to a new events promotion account for Explore Minnesota and to provide a one-time $1 million investment for attracting and promoting large-scale sporting and other events. Testifiers from Minnesota Sports and Events, including Doug Carnival and Wendy Blackshaw, said the organization was formed to bid on and execute major events, argued that state support is needed to compete with other cities, and cited recent and upcoming events such as the NHL Winter Classic, the Women’s Final Four, the MLS All-Star Game, and potential Special Olympics and Big Ten events as examples of economic and tourism impact. They emphasized statewide benefits, legacy projects, and hospitality-sector recovery after the pandemic. Sen. Rood strongly opposed the bill, saying stakeholders were not adequately consulted, the policy committee was bypassed, and lottery-in-lieu money should remain focused on environmental and natural resources purposes. Sen. Eaton also objected, arguing the money was intended for DNR-related uses and warning against setting a precedent of diverting environmental funds to sporting events. Sen. Rosen responded that the bill would not take money already in the natural resources accounts but would redirect 1% from the general fund into a new account, and he argued the funding would support tourism across the state, including greater Minnesota. A motion was made to re-refer the bill to the Committee on Natural Resources and Legacy, but after discussion the motion failed on a 4-4 tie. The committee then laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the omnibus package. The chair also noted that another bill, Senate File 3792, would be referred to Capital Investment and would not proceed in this committee.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee met to approve the March 16 minutes and then took up presentations on end-of-life planning, hospice, and palliative care, with House File 2670 discussed on an informational basis. Dr. Robert Moravik, an emergency physician and ethics committee chair, testified in support of expanded advanced care planning coverage, explaining that it helps document patient values and preferences, supports autonomy, and guides proxy decision-making when patients lose capacity. He emphasized that advanced care planning is about goal-concordant care and family comfort, not cost savings, citing the La Crosse/Respecting Choices model and noting that studies show little evidence of reduced health care costs. He also said advanced care planning is voluntary, that Minnesota advance directive documents remain valid until replaced or destroyed, and that they should be readily available in the medical record. He distinguished advanced care planning from physician-assisted suicide, saying he was not aware of any connection between Honoring Choices and aid-in-dying organizations. Members asked about outcomes from the La Crosse model, whether Minnesota providers routinely use these practices, and whether advance directives expire. Moravik said the main benefit is better family and physician comfort and high concordance with patient wishes, not savings; he noted palliative care and hospice providers are most likely to use these practices, while it is not standard across all specialties. He also said Minnesota advance directives do not expire, require two witnesses but not a notary or lawyer, and are most effective when accessible in the medical record. Questions also raised concerns about possible links to assisted suicide, which Moravik rejected, and the chair clarified that the hearing was about advanced care planning, not medical aid in dying. Jessica Hausauer of the Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care then defined palliative care as care for people with serious illness at any stage, focused on quality of life and symptom relief, and hospice as palliative care for the final six months of life when curative treatment is forgone. She said palliative care and hospice can be provided in many settings, are covered in part by Medicare, Medicaid, and some private plans, and that hospice also includes grief support for families. She reported that Minnesota hospice utilization increased from 48.7 percent of Medicare deaths in 2016 to 53.6 percent in 2020, with the state rising from 15th to 8th nationally, but noted disparities in use by race and that many patients enter hospice late, with a median stay of 27 days. No votes were taken on the bill during this portion of the hearing.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee met remotely and first approved the minutes from the March 16 meeting. It then heard House File 2933, a request related to Crookston’s Central Park campground and bathhouse project. Testimony explained that a 2018 grant project had been delayed by material shortages and rising costs, leaving a significant funding gap, and the city asked for an extension of the completion deadline to June 2024 so it could re-bid and potentially re-scope the work. The chair moved that the bill be laid over, and the committee agreed to lay it over for possible inclusion. The committee next heard from Parks and Trails Legacy Fund partners, including the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission and the Metropolitan Council, on a requested two-year extension. Testifiers said the extension would help complete delayed projects, including a statewide trails coordination effort, public art inventory and maintenance training, and a joint report on legacy fund benchmarks. They also described a new research project using location-based services data to estimate park and trail visitation more consistently across the state. Members asked several questions about how visitation is counted, whether the data would double-count users, and how the information is collected; testifiers explained that the data is purchased in aggregate from data aggregators, supplemented by periodic in-person counts, and used for estimates rather than individual tracking. Finally, the Minnesota Historical Society presented its own request for an extension of legacy funds for history projects. The society said closures during the public health emergency reduced admissions revenue and slowed work on school field trip support, educator programming, and library-related projects. Members asked about the difference between legacy funds and other revenue sources and whether the extension would require additional future funding. The society explained that legacy funds have expiration dates, that some fiscal year 2021 and 2022-23 projects are still underway, and that the requested amendment would give them more time to complete the existing work.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Behavioral Health Policy Division met remotely, approved the March 16, 2022 minutes, and then took up House File 2958, which would create a task force to examine Minnesota’s response to controlled substance abuse. Representative Pinto said the goal was to step back and study what laws, programs, and approaches are working, with an amendment forthcoming to clarify the bill’s focus on controlled substances rather than alcohol or tobacco. Members generally supported the concept, with Representative Frankie emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that connects public health, law enforcement, and the courts, and Representative Backer asking questions about whether alcohol and prescription drugs would be included and what jurisdictions the task force would study. Pinto said prescription drugs would be included as controlled substances, but alcohol would not be part of this task force. Representative Mueller said formal task forces can produce robust reports, help agencies gather data, and build consensus. The committee then voted 12-0 to recommend HF 2958 to the Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. The committee then moved to House File 4378, a bill on policy changes for certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs). The A1 amendment was adopted to remove children’s therapeutic support services language because that proposal will move separately. Representative Biermann described CCBHCs as an integrated behavioral health model now operating under Minnesota’s Medical Assistance program and said the bill is intended to streamline and better align the multiple licensure and certification requirements clinics must meet. Testifiers from Woodland Centers and Aluma Incorporated said CCBHCs improve integrated care, care coordination, and outcomes, but current oversight is fragmented across multiple licenses and certifications, creating conflicting requirements, administrative burden, and repeated audits. They argued that a single integrated license would save time and money for providers and DHS while preserving oversight. The chair indicated the bill still needed more work and would be laid over rather than immediately advanced.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Property Tax Division met with a quorum present and first approved the March 18 minutes by voice vote. Members were reminded that fiscal staff had provided revenue spreadsheets and notes for the bills being heard. The committee then took up House File 4226 and House File 4227 together, with an A1 amendment to HF 4226 adopted by voice vote to update the fiscal tables from the November to the February forecast. HF 4226, authored by Representative Agbaje, would expand the renter’s property tax credit by raising the income cap from $68,440 to $90,000, reducing copay percentages for some renters, and increasing the maximum refund for a higher-income range; the bill was described as having a revenue cost of about $28.4 million in FY23 and $29.2 million in FY24. HF 4227, authored by Vice Chair Gomez, would raise the maximum renter refund to match the homeowner maximum, with an estimated cost of about $7 million in 2024 and $7.3 million in 2025. Both authors framed the bills as efforts to reduce the gap between renters and homeowners and to help renters cope with rising housing costs. Testimony in support came from Nan Madden of the Minnesota Budget Project, Jonathan Marchand of United Community Action Partnership, Michael Dahl of Homeline, and renter Natalie Leuterman. They emphasized that renters, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income households face high housing burdens, and that the credit helps pay for essentials such as food, clothing, transportation, and medications. Members also discussed whether the bills had guardrails to prevent credits for unpaid rent; authors and the chair explained that the credit is based on a certificate of rent paid issued after rent is received, and only amounts actually paid count. Chair Youakim laid over HF 4226, as amended, and HF 4227, as amended, for possible inclusion in the Property Tax Division report.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee began with Chair Schultz handing the gavel to Vice Chair Bonner, then took roll and approved the minutes from the March 22, 2022 meeting. A quorum was present. The first bill heard was House File 3815, a Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) funding bill. Rep. Moran described QPI as a statewide effort to improve relationships among birth parents, foster parents, relatives, social workers, and youth in foster care through training and technical assistance, including practices like comfort calls and circle-of-support meetings. Testifiers Sandy Weber and Kate Rickard spoke in support, emphasizing that QPI helps reduce secrecy, supports healing and youth voice, and improves outcomes for children and families. The committee discussed the bill briefly and then laid it over for possible inclusion in the Human Services Finance and Policy omnibus bill. The committee then heard House File 4217, which Rep. Agbaje said would support kinship care and targeted recruitment of foster and adoptive families of color. The bill would encourage relative search and engagement, create a grant program for recruitment of Black, Indigenous, and other families of color, and require data tracking and DHS capacity-building. Testifiers Curtis Bell and Ms. Boo supported the bill, citing the importance of kinship placement, cultural matching, and the shortage of foster homes for children of color and children who speak Spanish. Rep. Albright asked about available family data and whether the bill would create new county mandates or costs; the author said the bill would work with DHS to avoid unnecessary strain and that grant funding would cover the initial program costs, with operational costs to be worked out. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill. Finally, the committee took up House File 3477, authored by Rep. Vang, which would provide a one-time appropriation of about $160,000 to Headway Emotional Health Services for transportation costs for students in day treatment on non-school days. Headway’s CEO explained that the program serves students with serious emotional health needs and that current transportation rules leave gaps on days without academic instruction. A parent testifier was also scheduled to speak. The transcript cuts off before final committee action on this bill is shown.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from the previous meeting, then took up House File 4198, a proposal by Representative Marquart to create county-based “community career workforce academies” and a statewide grant program to expand career and technical training, adult upskilling, and partnerships among schools, colleges, businesses, chambers, nonprofits, and local officials. Marquart said the bill is intended to address workforce shortages by creating a stronger pipeline into high-demand, high-wage jobs, keeping young people in Minnesota, and allowing adults to gain skills and credentials. He described a $40 million appropriation, including $10 million for a Moorhead pilot project, with DEED to review county applications and report back on results. Testimony from Moorhead Area Public Schools and the Fargo-Moorhead West Fargo Chamber strongly supported the bill, emphasizing regional labor shortages, the need for collaborative public-private partnerships, and expanded opportunities for students and adult learners. Members generally supported the concept and asked questions about student debt, the age range served, the role of community education, and how the Moorhead model would work with local colleges. The author said the bill does not directly address student debt, though related tax proposals are being discussed elsewhere, and that the program would begin with students as early as ninth grade while also serving adults through adult basic education and community education. There was also discussion about whether the bill should include language requiring trades and trade schools to be allowed at school career days; the author and several members said that issue was important but better handled in education policy rather than this bill. Representative McDonald moved that HF 4198 be re-referred to the Taxes Committee, and the motion passed 11-2. The committee then turned to House File 3605, which deals with broadband deployment. Representative Rasmussen presented a DE2 amendment that incorporated Senate language, added a $5 million annual cap for three years, and included reporting and easement-related changes requested by electric co-ops and railroads. The amendment was adopted, and Rasmussen explained that the bill is meant to help speed broadband line extensions and reduce barriers as Minnesota receives significant federal broadband funding. The chair then indicated the bill would be voted on in its amended form.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House File 4449, authored by Rep. Noor, was heard and amended in committee. The adopted A1 amendment clarified a Pell Grant eligibility reference. The bill would create a free college grant program for students at Minnesota’s two-year colleges, using family adjusted gross income and other aid to determine awards. Rep. Noor described it as a way to reduce student debt, support workforce needs, and expand access for students from lower- and middle-income families. The committee heard supportive testimony from two students, Karina Valeda and Ali Tamashek, who said high tuition and debt concerns delayed or interrupted their education and that a free college grant would improve access, reduce financial stress, and help students stay enrolled. Members also discussed the bill’s relationship to existing aid programs, including PSEO, and asked about eligibility, income thresholds, student requirements, and whether there were restrictions tied to GPA or program completion. Office of Higher Education staff said the bill is a last-dollar program, estimated at roughly $35 million per year, with students from families earning about $40,000 or less generally already able to cover tuition through Pell and state grants, and the bulk of new aid likely going to families earning between $50,000 and $100,000. Some members raised concerns about the lack of clear eligibility details, the absence of specific program requirements in the bill, and the focus on the state system rather than private colleges or the University of Minnesota. Others supported the measure as a workforce and affordability investment. After discussion, Rep. Noor closed by urging support for the bill, and the committee renewed the motion to lay over House File 4449, as amended, for possible inclusion.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House File 2824, as amended by the A22 amendment, was heard and laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill. The bill would require used car dealerships to disclose the vehicle price before a consumer expresses interest or begins a purchase transaction, including through prominent windshield or website pricing, with the stated goal of improving price transparency for consumers, especially those with language barriers or limited experience in car buying. Representative Lee said the proposal was brought to him by the Council of Latino Affairs in response to consumer protection concerns. Several testifiers supported the bill, including Heidi Varela, who described being pressured into signing paperwork without being told the car’s price until the end, and losing her down payment after the vehicle had problems. Jessica Aliaga Frelke also testified that misleading practices in used car sales disproportionately affect low-income communities of color and immigrants, leading to financial harm and credit damage. The Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association opposed the bill as written, saying it was aimed at a few bad actors but imposed broad, ambiguous requirements on all dealers. The association raised concerns about terms such as “prominent,” “conspicuous,” and the distinction between cash and financed sales, and said it had proposed revisions that were not adopted. Representative Lucero and Representative O’Driscoll questioned why the bill was limited to used cars, how the new wording would be enforced, and whether existing state and federal disclosure laws already address the issue. Lee and his staff said the used-car focus reflected the complaints they had received and that they were still working on the language, but the motion to lay the bill over prevailed.