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Minnesota House of Representatives

Week in Review: March 16-20

By Lisa Kaczke
Capitol visitors stop to view the House Chamber and watch Chief Clerk Pat Murphy prepare for the March 18 floor session. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)
Capitol visitors stop to view the House Chamber and watch Chief Clerk Pat Murphy prepare for the March 18 floor session. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)

In true Minnesota spring fashion, this week started with a blizzard and ended with temps reaching 60 degrees at the Capitol.

The snowstorm on Sunday made for tough driving conditions on Monday, prompting committees to be canceled and some lawmakers to attend the floor session remotely. Additionally, the House didn’t have any activities Thursday for the Eid break.

Despite a shorter week, a smattering of bills received approval in committees this week. The House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee approved HF4250 to rein in resale ticket prices. HF3169, which seeks to improve bridge infrastructure to reduce suicides, is on its way to the House Floor with the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee’s approval.

Bills also continue to receive the heave-ho from committees on tied votes along party lines. The House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee said no to HF1857 that would ban the declawing of cats unless needed for a therapeutic purpose. Consumer-grade fireworks won’t be legalized anytime soon after the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee voted it down.
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Recent Dailies

Pass-through entity extension fails in taxes committee
By Rob Hubbard
The House Taxes Committee listens March 11 as nonpartisan staff walk through a bill that would modify expiration of the pass-through entity tax. (Photo by Andrew VonBank) So what’s a “pass-through entity tax,” and why did it cause such a kerfuffle in Wednesday’s meeting of the House Taxes Committee? Well, by declaring themselves a “pass-throu...
Market value exclusion increase sought for first time since 2008 for veterans with a disability
By Mike Cook
Rep. Bjorn Olson Veterans with a 70% disability rating receive just $1,764 monthly in compensation — a little more if they have dependents. The amount drops if the veteran is working; however, e...
Enhanced penalties for crimes against vulnerable adults gets hearing
By Tim Walker
Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) recounted a story in her district of a son who stole about $46,000 from his vulnerable mother’s bank account, yet prosecutors did not charge h...
Undocumented nonresident students could be ineligible for state financial aid
By Margaret Stevens
Nekey Oliver, director of government relations and community engagement for the Office of Higher Education, answers questions regarding HF1323 before the House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee March 10. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) More than 75,000 students received approximately $222 million in Minnesota State Grants in Fiscal Year 2025, including 617 students who received nearly $5 million combined under...
Looking to catch abusers, ‘Harvey’s Law’ would require cameras in daycares
By Winter Keefer
Hunter and Catherine Muklebust tearfully share the experience of the death of their infant son at his daycare during testimony on "Harvey's Law," sponsored by Rep. Nolan West, right. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) Trying to fight back tears, Catherine and Hunter Muklebust say their son could still be alive if cameras caught the woman charged with his murder committing a prior alleged act ...
Plastic beverage bottle tax would aim to help meet water infrastructure needs
By Tim Walker
Richard Rowland, business division manager for Saint Paul Regional Water Services, testifies March 10 on a bill proposing a plastic bottle excise tax. Rep. Mary Franson, center, is the sponsor. (Photo by Andrew VonBank) Will a tax on plastic beverage bottles be coming to the state? And if so, how much? The answer to both questions is unknown, because a bill to add a to-be-determined excise ...
Bill would go after late fees charged by utilities
By Rob Hubbard
Rep. Athena Hollins Many state residents are having a much harder time keeping the lights on. “Minnesotans together owe more than $129 million past due on utility bills,” Rep. Athena Hollins (D...
‘Ditch the Switch’ could end moving clock back or forward an hour twice per year
By Mike Cook
Rep. Mike Freiberg One could safely presume extra caffeine was consumed Monday when people were still feeling the effect of Sunday morning. And many of us probably still have clocks yet to be ...
Public vs. private clash means incomplete grade for bill that’d provide federal education dollars
By Mike Cook
One side of the political aisle gave an education funding proposal an A; the other side gave it in F. Tuesday’s final grade is an incomplete because no vote was taken, but will ...
Tax panel weighs increasing renter’s credit eligibility and amounts
By Rob Hubbard
Nan Madden, director of the Minnesota Budget Project, testifies before the House Taxes Committee March 10 in support of HF2499, sponsored by Rep. Liz Lee. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) While people who rent their homes have been eligible for a tax credit for more than a century, that credit became a lot more popular last year when it was transformed from a sta...
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Priority Dailies

Stable budget outlook projects $3.7 billion surplus now, no deficit in next biennium
By Lisa Kaczke
The projected surplus for Fiscal Years 2026-27 is now higher than it was in the November estimate, and no deficit is projected for the next biennium. “Minnesota’s budge...
Legislative leaders set 2026 committee deadlines
By Lisa Kaczke
Legislative leaders on Tuesday officially set the timeline for getting bills through the committee process during the upcoming 2026 session. Here are the three deadlines for...

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