Local media funding, Hortman state park working group and no pennies in state government law

What started as a bill to provide additional funding for 17 independent locally programmed and managed radio stations across the state blossomed into a law includes more than a dozen changes related to state government.

Sponsored by Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia) and Sen. Heather Gustafson (DFL-Vadnais Heights), the law takes effect July 1, 2026, unless noted.

Effective May 28, 2026, it contributes to the almost $1.83 million in Fiscal Year 2026 for grants to a quintet of public television stations in Greater Minnesota for operations and $100,000 in Fiscal Year 2027 to the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations, better known as AMPERS, for resources, software and other training to help its member stations consolidate resources and expenses. And it decreases the statutory minimum number of required staff per radio station needed to qualify for state funding from two full-time equivalents to 1.5.

To help with this funding, the law cancels $1 million of unused funds from a previous allocation for implementation of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

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Other Fiscal Year 2027 financial changes, effective July 1, 2026, include:

• reducing by $1.84 million — from $4.92 million to $3.07 million — money for the Department of Human Services to coordinate with the newly created Office of Inspector General;

• $561,000 to Minnesota IT Services for data sharing between agencies;

• an additional $264,000 for creation of the Office of Inspector General;

• $262,000 to the Department of Education for data sharing preparation; and

• $86,000 for administrative costs of the Mark and Melissa Hortman Memorial State Park working group.

The working group is charged with making recommendations for the creation of the Melissa and Mark Hortman Memorial State Park within the Capitol Area. It must convene its first meeting by Aug. 15, 2026, and a report is due to the Legislature by Feb. 1, 2027. This provision took effect May 28, 2026.

Among its policy provisions the law will:

• effective Feb. 1, 2028, charge the Department of Administration with developing a grantee fraud rating system policy informed by the principles of vendor risk management;

• require the department to provide a template summary page for use by agencies that award grants;

• help alleviate the penny problem by, effective May 28, 2026, allowing state agencies and parties engaging in transactions on behalf of state agencies, to round cash transactions, as follows: when the amount ends in 1, 2, 6, or 7 cents, the agency must round down to the nearest nickel; when it ends in 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents, the agency must round up to the nearest nickel;

• effective May 28, 2026, allow the Minnesota Historical Society to contract with any person or entity for management and operation of state historic sites. Current law permits contracts with counties, municipalities, and local historical societies;

• extend the expiration date for the Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity from Dec. 31, 2028, to Dec. 31, 2035;

• move from April 1 to May 1 of each odd-numbered year when the Compensation Council must determine the salaries of constitutional officers, commissioners and other agency heads, and the chairs of the Metropolitan Council and the Metropolitan Airports Commission, and daily compensation for voting members of the Direct Care and Treatment executive board.

• change a provision in the health insurance benefit plans offered in the non-represented employees compensation plan and the managerial plan;

• provide for continuing operations of the Legislature in advance of it becoming duly organized;

• reduce from 10,000 to 5,000 the number of legislative manuals that the Office of the Secretary of State is required to print and distribute to specified recipients; and

• modify statutes pertaining to the Board of Barber Examiners and Board of Cosmetology Examiners licensing and regulations. These have various effective dates.

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