Transcript Highlights:

• While visiting a memorial in nearby Brainerd, I ran into a Vietnam veteran who knew of my search for

Keywords: 1183, house

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• continued: When you've redone the zoning code, when you've done it, you know, for example, I met with Brainerd

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Housing Finance and Policy Committee approved the previous meeting’s minutes and then heard testimony from Housing First Minnesota and the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities on housing supply, affordability, and land-use policy. Mark Foster of Housing First Minnesota said the state is chronically undersupplied by roughly 100,000 units, that the median new single-family home price has risen above $530,000, and that only about 27% of Twin Cities households can now afford a new home. He argued that regulatory and local approval processes, especially planned unit developments and aesthetic mandates, add significant cost and reduce the number of homes built, and he urged the committee to remove exclusionary barriers and modernize residential development approvals. Members questioned Foster about zoning, aesthetic requirements, and homeowners associations. He said most new housing in growing metro communities is negotiated through PUDs, which he described as increasing costs and limiting supply, and gave examples such as stone exterior requirements adding thousands of dollars to a home. He also said HOAs can be useful in some cases but are often imposed when not needed. Several legislators responded positively to the Housing First Minnesota Foundation’s work, including transitional housing and veteran housing projects. Elizabeth Wefel of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities said cities outside the metro also face a housing shortage, but their challenges differ: market failure, inadequate sewer and water infrastructure, and gaps in starter, workforce, and senior housing. She said many Greater Minnesota cities are already updating zoning, reducing lot sizes, allowing more density and ADUs, and investing local money, land, and partnerships to spur development. She asked the legislature to speed up rollout of housing funds, support infrastructure and workforce programs, and adjust housing tax credit and TIF rules, while warning against one-size-fits-all preemption of local zoning authority. Members discussed the need for tailored solutions and the differences between metro and Greater Minnesota housing markets.

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• Louis Park, Plymouth, Maple Grove, or Brainerd decides that they want to ban guns and weapons on the
• Louis Park, Plymouth, Maple Grove, or Brainerd decides that they want to ban guns and weapons on the

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• add that I'm a former community banker myself for 12 years, serving at a small community bank in Brainerd

Bills: HF331, HF916

Keywords: school supplies, sales tax exemption, use tax, sales and use tax, back-to-school, classroom supplies, education tax relief, tax holiday, retail exemption, Minnesota sales tax, school materials, binders, calculators, notebooks, pencils, backpacks, book bags, local tax revenue, taxable sales base, income tax

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• And we are the only airline to serve International Falls, Brainerd, Bemidji, and Hibbing.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

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• rather they are spread out widely throughout the state of Minnesota, including Lansburg Nursery in Brainerd

Keywords: 1183, house

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• We've had discussions in the Baxter-Brainerd area.

Keywords: 1183, house

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• The in-person ones, so we've been to Marshall, Owatonna, Brainerd, Lonsdale, Pine City, International

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• State Senator Justin Eichorn, District 6, Grand Rapids in the Brainerd Lakes area.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

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• I'm the GM and COO at Shannon's Auto Body up in Brainerd, Minnesota.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

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• I have the Brainerd Lakes area. I'm the chair of the Environment Committee.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee began with member and staff introductions, including several new members and committee staff. Representative Zach Stevenson, the DFL lead, objected to the day’s presentation, saying he was disappointed the committee was starting with a group he viewed as aligned with Republicans rather than a nonpartisan budget presentation. The chair responded that the committee had a bipartisan agreement and that hearing a different perspective was appropriate. The committee then proceeded to a presentation from economists with the Center of the American Experiment, with questions held until the end. The presentation focused on Minnesota’s budget outlook, arguing that the state faces a structural imbalance and a projected $5.14 billion deficit in the 2028-29 biennium. The presenters said spending has outpaced revenues, highlighted a large increase in general fund spending since 2023, and argued that inflation-adjusted per-capita spending remains above pre-2024 levels through the forecast period. They said the biggest growth areas are E-12 education and especially Health and Human Services, with HHS projected to become the largest budget category and much of its growth tied to Medicaid and long-term care waivers. The presenters also argued Minnesota spends more than most states on welfare and Medicaid, citing comparisons showing the state near the top nationally in spending per person in poverty and in several Medicaid categories. They said some of the HHS growth reflects policy changes from the 2023 session, while other pressures come from enrollment growth, health care prices, federal debt, and an aging population. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Several people from my district drove, I think, to Brainerd to get to the listening session, so that's

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

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• Cloud and Brainerd.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

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• Paul is our central office, but we have offices in Rochester, Mankato, Marshall, Brainerd, Detroit Lakes

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Chair Foung Hawj opened the Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee meeting by welcoming members, agency staff, and constituents, and by outlining the committee’s shared-power arrangement for the session. Members introduced themselves and described environmental activities from the interim, including gardening, outdoor recreation, farming visits, Great Lakes work, and a tree-planting trip in Thailand that Hawj said symbolized cultural unity and environmental stewardship. Ben Stanley, the committee’s nonpartisan counsel, then explained the co-chairs’ operating agreement: Hawj would chair the meeting, Senator John Hoffman would chair the next two meetings, then Hawj would chair the following two, with the chair rotating after each pair of meetings. Agendas would be set jointly, additional meetings would require both chairs’ approval, and passing a bill out of committee would require a majority of all committee members, or seven votes. At Senator Tory Westrom’s request, the agreement was to be emailed to members in writing. Stanley also reviewed the committee’s jurisdiction, which includes environmental and natural resources bills, legacy funds, and agencies such as the Environmental Quality Board, Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Control Agency, and Board of Water and Soil Resources, along with several related councils and boards. Fiscal analyst Dan Mueller then gave a budget overview of the committee’s agencies, noting that many current biennium appropriations include one-time general fund money that drops back in the 2026-27 base budget. He highlighted funding levels for the Pollution Control Agency, DNR, Metro Parks, Conservation Corps, BWSR, the Minnesota Zoo, the Science Museum, and the Metropolitan Landfill Contingency Action Trust Account, and said the committee’s base-budget area totals about $2.2 billion. He also reviewed the Legacy funds, estimating available 2026-27 appropriations of about $327 million for Outdoor Heritage, $31.7 million for Clean Water, $133 million for Parks and Trails, and $185 million for Arts and Cultural Heritage. No votes or bill actions were taken at this meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we have two great prosecutors who are about to go on trial in Brainerd this week to hold her accountable

Bills: HF3043, HF2891

Keywords: public safety, illegal remunerations, healthcare fraud, grants, criminal penalties, state law, grants management, state employees training, certification, monitoring grants, accountability, grant fraud, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Doesn't matter if you are from Winona or Ely or Bemidji or Blue Earth or Brainerd or Medelia or Perham

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: Senate File 4612, a state government bill affecting the Department of Health, Human Services, and Children, Youth, and Families, was taken up with a House language amendment adopted at the outset. The bill’s authors gave sharply different perspectives: one described it as a limited, reactive measure tied to federal Medicaid changes and said it fell short of needed health care improvements, while the other argued it would avoid large federal penalties, add Medicaid work requirements, save taxpayer money, and help certain rural and disability-related services. Members then debated several amendments. A technical House research amendment was offered, followed by a contested amendment on the all-payer claims database. Supporters of that change argued the bill expanded data access and could allow sensitive health data to be sold or used outside the United States, raising privacy and jurisdiction concerns; opponents said the data would remain deidentified, access would be limited to researchers, and the fee structure was a cost-recovery mechanism rather than a sale. The amendment to the amendment failed on a 67-67 tie, and the underlying amendment was not adopted. The committee also adopted an amendment updating mortuary science rules for natural organic reduction and another that would automatically enroll certain people into medical assistance if they did not choose a program themselves. A later amendment creating a therapeutic psilocybin pilot program for mental health and PTSD treatment drew strong bipartisan support, especially from members citing veteran suicide, trauma, and promising research; it was adopted after discussion. The transcript ended while discussion continued on how the program would be administered, including questions about using the Office of Cannabis Management rather than the Department of Health.

Transcript Highlights:

• My district, the Crow Wing County, Brainerd Lakes area, is a 75% service-based industry.

Keywords: 1183, house