Legislative Update – June 12, 2025
Dear Neighbors,
This week, legislators returned to the Capitol for a one-day special session, passing the last few budget bills needed to fund our state government for the next two years. Throughout the legislative session, I've been focused on passing a balanced budget that improves the lives of families in our district and state.
I continued my strong track record of finding compromise and bipartisan solutions, which was even more important this year with a 67-67 tie. While I didn’t agree with everything we passed this year, our budget takes important steps forward in lowering costs for Minnesota families. As legislators, it’s our job to get the budget done, and I am glad we could deliver for Minnesotans and Maple Grove families.
We stopped efforts to roll back the progress made in 2023 and 2024, protecting Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Sick and Safe Time and ensuring that individuals do not have to choose between their health and a paycheck. We protected Minnesota's Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and continued investments in education and literacy.
Minnesotans will still have reproductive freedom and universal free school meals, and our state’s strong clean energy, environmental protection, and gun violence prevention laws will remain intact because we held the line, while still finding room for compromise and bipartisan solutions.
Special Session Recap
The special session agreement negotiated by House leaders, the Senate, and the Governor laid out what must be passed to fund the state government and avoid a shutdown. At a time when the federal government is full of chaos and fighting, we came together to pass a budget where neither side is fully happy, but the budget is pragmatic, fair, and balanced, because voters delivered us a divided government.
As your representative, it was my job to look at these bills individually and vote according to how they will impact our neighbors and district.
I voted for budget bills regarding Commerce, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, Children and Families, Higher Education, Human Services, Jobs and Labor, K-12 Education, Taxes, and Transportation. I also voted for a pair of Capital Investment bills that improve our state buildings, transportation, and water infrastructure. You can read about each of those bills in more detail at the linked articles from the House nonpartisan staff.
Passing Bills with Bipartisan Support
This session I was proud to author many bipartisan bills that made it across the finish line and will be signed by the Governor into law. I also worked alongside colleagues to support other pieces of legislation that will improve our state. Here are a few:
- Securing funding for improvements to Hwy 169 and Cty Hwy 130 included in the Transportation budget.
- My bill approving Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for Maple Grove, which was a top priority of our local partners and will help spur economic development as we continue to grow.
- Supporting small, local pharmacies by establishing a directed pharmacy dispensing reimbursement for the Medical Assistance (MA) program that ensures the survival of these cornerstone small business without requiring additional fees for doctor visits for vaccines, flu shots, tests, and medication management.
- Restructuring the state’s facilities authority to allow it to support nonprofit healthcare organizations expanding for the greater good of our communities.
- My bill modernizing Minnesota’s political contribution refund program, allowing residents to claim the refund online electronically rather than mailing paper forms, encouraging grassroots, small-dollar donations and making government work for busy families.
- Growing our health care workforce and making it easier to navigate for families through my bill modifying physician assistant licensure and removing barriers for PA’s trained and licensed in other states who move here.
- Creating a new HOA ombudsperson position to facilitate disputes between Homeowners, HOA Boards, and Property Managers to assist homeowners, tenants and associations in understanding their rights and responsibilities and make recommendation to the legislature on law changes.
- An insurance affordability task force that will address problems in the homeowners and commercial market where we have seen double-digit increases in premiums, providing recommendations to the legislature on how we can lower costs for Minnesotans to save them money.
In a tied legislature, my reputation as a common-sense and bipartisan legislator helped me to pass all of this legislation. While there still is much more work to do, I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish under these difficult circumstances.
Legislative Interim
Even during the legislative interim, I’ll continue working to find solutions to the problems still facing our communities, families, and neighbors. I’ll continue meeting with small business owners, community organizations, local government officials, and most importantly, see you all in our district!
If you have a question, concern, or idea for legislation you’d like to see considered next session, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office! Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you may have. I can be reached at 651-296-5502 or?rep.kristin.bahner@house.mn.gov. My office is also available to help if you ever need help navigating state government.
It is an honor to represent you at the State Capitol.
Sincerely,?
Kristin Bahner
Your State Representative