Tornado Recovery & Recent MN House Updates

April 24, 2026

A Message Regarding the Recent Tornadoes

Last week, tornadoes ravaged our area. Several confirmed tornadoes touched down, and it is a relief that nobody was seriously injured or killed. However, roughly sixty homes sustained significant damage. To those affected, you are in my prayers. I know that it must have been a terrifying ordeal, but I am thankful to know that you made it through.

Here are tips from agencies for filing insurance claims for your property:

1. Contact your insurance company immediately.
2. Wait for the company’s adjuster before you or anyone starts working to remove, repair, or replace property.
3. Inventory your damage.
4. Take notes of who you talk with and what they say from your insurance company, adjusters, or repair services. Note dates, names, and contact information.
5. Avoid scammers or high-pressure sales tactics if you are contacted by someone you don’t know, such as salespeople going door-to-door in areas hit by storms.

Click HERE for more information and help regarding filing claims.

If you have been impacted by the storms and are having difficulty with a state agency, I encourage you to reach out to me. I will do everything within my power to help you.

Email: rep.duane.quam@house.mn.gov

Phone: 651-296-9236

House Update

This week, we held votes on the House Floor on a variety of bills. One of these bills (HF3629) had a reading on the House Floor and incorporates some of the language that I have been working on in my Office of the Legislative Auditor bill. This bill updates Minnesota's state government grants management laws, primarily increasing oversight and tightening rules for who can be held responsible for grant-related crimes. I spoke in favor of the bill, as it would ban state employees from issuing grants to organizations, only to take up employment at those same organizations shortly after approving the grant. In my remarks, I made it clear that this is a nonpartisan issue, and finding solutions that we can all agree on has been the basis of my conversations with my DFL colleagues when drafting the language.

Here are two of my speeches on the bill that you can watch below:

Click HERE to watch my first remarks on the House Floor.

Click HERE to watch my second remarks on the House Floor.

It is my hope that we can pass this bill by the end of the 2026 Legislative Session to protect Minnesota taxpayer dollars.

Minnesota Legislative Effectiveness Top 10

I am pleased to inform you that I have once again earned a Top Ten spot on the Center For Effective Lawmaking's (CEL) State Legislative Effectiveness Rankings!

This is a joint initiative between Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia which ranks legislator effectiveness by analyzing the percentage of bills that we are involved with that end up passing into law.

I am honored to be tied for 6th for the 2023-2024 Legislative Session, and I ranked 5th in both 2021-2022 and 2019-2020.

CEL has compiled these rankings for years at the federal and state levels. I have repeatedly made the Top Ten, likely because I have bills and amendments that pass every term, regardless of whether Republicans are currently in the minority or the majority in the House. My swatting bill passed in 2023, and helped a broader swatting bill pass in 2024, which took place during the DFL Trifecta. 

At the end of the day, my focus is on finding solutions to improve bills and make a positive impact on the lives of Minnesotans. I have had multiple Democrat chairs ask me to write amendments for their omnibus bills, even when I wasn't on their committee, as they trust my experience and insight.

I am honored that you trust in me to serve as your voice at the State Capitol, and I am likewise honored to once again be recognized as a legislator who leads through action over words.

Please Stay in Touch 

Please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts or concerns. My phone number is 651-296-9236 or you can email me at rep.duane.quam@house.mn.

Have a great weekend!

Duane

/RepDuaneQuam

2nd Floor Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.9236