SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Today, the Minnesota House passed HF 2435, the 2025 House Health, Children, and Families budget bill. The bill funds many of the pieces of Minnesota’s health care system, including hospitals, pharmacies, and emergency medical services, as well as child protection, child care, and early learning. It modernizes the Social Services Information System (SSIS), addresses food insecurity, and continues support for early learning scholarships. The budget reflects the bipartisan agreements between the House DFL and Republican caucuses.
"This carefully balanced health budget ensures Minnesotans can access the care they need while acknowledging the reality of the harmful federal cuts coming from the Trump administration," said Rep. Robert Bierman (DFL – Apple Valley), co-chair of the House Health Finance Committee. "We've crafted targeted investments that strengthen our entire health care infrastructure—from hospitals and pharmacies to emergency medical services—while focusing on accessibility for all Minnesotans, especially in our rural communities."
The Health portion of the bill addresses several key priorities, like extending audio-only telehealth coverage, strengthening local pharmacy support, and creating pathways for qualified medical professionals to practice in all corners of Minnesota. Under the bill, Minnesota would join 40 other states with a Medicaid directed payment program for hospitals, using federal funding to help them sustain their operations. To help prevent tragedies as a result of opioid misuse, the budget includes $150,000 for state college and university campuses to maintain naloxone in residential buildings and directs $1 million toward education on the dangers associated with opioid use.
House DFLers also notably safeguarded reproductive health care access while ensuring state dollars support legitimate health care providers, not deceptive crisis pregnancy centers. As the Trump administration slashes federal health care funding, House DFLers are providing the Minnesota Department of Health with an additional $1 million to ensure essential public health services continue for all Minnesotans. The budget also delivers additional funding to help Minnesota’s Emergency Medical Services system address personnel and funding challenges.
The Children & Families portion of the bill appropriates $6 million to address food insecurity, including funding for the American Indian food sovereignty program, Minnesota's food shelf program, food banks, and prepared meals relief grants. This funding will help fill gaps left by Trump’s cuts to essential food supports for Minnesotans.
The bill also invests $40 million to modernize the Social Services Information System (SSIS), the outdated welfare tech system county workers use in child protection cases. This upgrade will simplify processes and increase efficiency for those handling child protection cases, resulting in less time doing paperwork and more time supporting children and families.
“Rising costs and the havoc Trump is imposing on working families have been top of my mind as we crafted this budget, and my priority was to target funding and provide investments where they’re most needed,” said Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (DFL – Eden Prairie), co-chair of the House Children and Families Committee. “While we don’t know the full ramifications of Trump’s reckless cuts yet, we’re already feeling it here in Minnesota. Thirty-four trucks of food and essential goods for Minnesota’s food shelves and banks were cancelled without explanation, leaving organizations that serve our community members with few resources to help those who need it most. The Trump administration and DOGE, led by Elon Musk, closed the federal Health and Human Services regional offices in Chicago, which include the Head Start office. I've heard from providers statewide that they are without direction from the federal government on where to send critical paperwork in order to receive essential funding.”
Despite Republicans’ efforts to follow the Trump playbook of harmful funding cuts, this year’s Children & Families budget bill successfully preserves important investments DFLers made for Minnesotans last biennium. The bill maintains full funding for the Great Start Compensation Support Program, which supports the early childhood workforce. The bill also maintains the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) cost-of-living adjustment and additional funding for Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota (FAIM), a matched savings program that empowers Minnesotans to escape poverty. The bill contains important provisions to protect Minnesota kids and seniors’ well-being. It requires mental health warning labels on social media platforms and includes a $1 million investment in dementia services to support caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer's through coordinated research, services, and education.
The House and Senate will meet in a conference committee to reconcile differences within each body’s version of the bill.
###