Legislative News and Views - Rep. Duane Quam (R)

Session Recap: Positive Momentum for MN

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

May 20, 2026

Session Recap: Positive Momentum for MN

Friends and neighbors,

The 2026 Legislative Session drew to a close this past Sunday.

I am happy to report that Republicans effectively used our tie in the State House to pass many legislative victories for Minnesotans. Similarly, and of equal importance, we used our leverage to block several far-left proposals that would have damaged our state. Considering that the DFL currently retains control of the Senate and Governor's Office, I believe that we played our cards correctly and we can categorize this year as a resounding success.

Below are important pieces of legislation that we passed:

Anti-Fraud Provisions

Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Bill: Establishes an independent, apolitical state agency to investigate and prosecute fraud. On the Legislative Audit Commission, I witnessed Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison repeatedly ignore Minnesota's fraud epidemic for political expediency. This bill will eliminate that conflict of interest by giving the public peace of mind that their taxpayer dollars are being safeguarded by a nonpartisan entity.
Take It Back Act: Establishes a 100% tax on state money obtained through fraud, to be imposed on individuals and organizations that have been convicted of doing so. The tax will apply to convicted fraudsters in addition to any court-ordered restitution that they may already have to pay. It also allows the Minnesota Department of Revenue to swiftly seize assets of convicted fraudsters (homes, vehicles, etc.) so the state can retrieve as much stolen taxpayer money as possible.
Work Requirements for Welfare Benefits: Implements expanded work requirements for able-bodied adults aged 18–64, without dependents under 14, who use Medicaid programs. They must work, volunteer, or participate in training for at least 80 hours per month (roughly 20 hours per week) to avoid a three-month time limit on benefits. Able-bodied adults who choose not to work should not be subsidized by those who do.
Tech Modernization: Allocates over $25 million to state and local governments to update obsolete human services software. New software will include artificial intelligence mechanisms to flag statistical anomalies that indicate potential fraud.

Over $400 Million in Tax Savings

$250 Million in Car Tab Fee Reductions: In 2023, the DFL Trifecta dramatically increased car tab fees for Minnesotans. This year, House Republicans secured a one-time car tab fee reduction to help working families. We will continue to advocate for this one-year tax cut to be permanently extended.
$125 Million in Property Tax Relief: Unfunded DFL mandates on cities, such as Paid Family and Medical Leave, have led to dramatic property tax increases. Minnesotans should not be priced out of their homes as a result of unaffordable legislation. Again, this property tax cut is only for one year, but we will continue to advocate for it to become permanent next year.
Business Tax Improvements: This provision brings Minnesota into compliance with recent federal tax standards and extends the Pass-Through Entity tax provision, providing hundreds of millions in relief for Minnesota businesses at zero cost to the state government.
Ending the Ballpark Tax: Minnesotans will no longer have to pay this sales tax, which used public dollars to fund a private business.

School Safety Provisions

Anonymous Threat Reporting System: Allows school districts to adopt a 24/7 anonymous local or statewide system for reporting dangerous school behavior, backed by $5 million in funding.
School-Linked Behavioral Health Grants: Authorizes seed funding and mental health grants to expand the infrastructure schools need to deliver and bill for student behavioral health services.
Mobile Crisis Units: Amends state policy to explicitly protect families by clarifying that all parts of mobile crisis services are fully exempt from out-of-pocket cost-sharing, co-pays, and deductibles.
Anti-Grooming Legislation: Makes the sexual grooming of children a felony offense, establishes automatic teacher license revocation for offenders, and eliminates the strict three-year look-back window for state education investigations.
Compensatory Revenue Support: Appropriates $10 million in compensatory revenue adjustments to provide one-time financial relief to school districts facing imminent budget shortfalls.
All Schools Covered: All children in Minnesota deserve to be safe in school. House Republicans successfully advocated for this legislation to apply to public and non-public schools.

Funding for All Minnesota Hospitals

Rural Hospital Funding: Increases Medical Assistance rates for rural and critical access hospitals, putting them on equal footing with the boost HCMC already receives.
Hennepin County Medical Center Funding: Allocates money from the general fund along with significant accountability and governance language to make sure HCMC is operating efficiently. HCMC is an important part of our state's hospital infrastructure. However, it is currently not run well, and we cannot continue to support it at the expense of funding rural hospitals.
Hospital Stabilization Fund: Establishes a new hospital stabilization fund to help hospitals across Minnesota in dire financial situations.
Uncompensated Care Fund: Helps hospitals cover the costs of care for cases in which no payment is received from the patient or insurer. With the rising cost of insurance, this has become a significant challenge for hospitals, and this measure is meant to provide budget relief.

Far-Left Legislation Blocked

Equally important to the legislation that we passed is the legislation that we ensured did not pass. In recent years, an increasing number of DFL legislators from the Twin Cities have publicly identified themselves as socialists and have brought forward alarming proposals. Fortunately, due to your engagement, our Republican tie in the House allowed us to prevent these ideas from becoming law.

Far-left proposals that House Republicans blocked:

Quintupling Your Car Tab Fees: This year, a DFL member suggested that she would like to "quintuple!" your car tab fees on top of their already heightened rates. We not only blocked this, but we also secured a reduction.
Unconstitutional Gun Grab: DFL legislators attempted to pass a bill that would require owners of weapons THAT HAVE A CERTAIN LOOK to register their firearms with the state and make owning magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds a felony. By conservative estimates, this would turn more than a million law-abiding Minnesotans into criminals overnight. Canada and Australia have extremely strict gun laws, but both countries recently had mass shootings. We need to address mental illness, as sane people do not commit such acts and criminals don’t follow the law.
Wealth Tax: This would have created a 1% annual wealth tax on all assets exceeding $10 million (businesses, investments, homes, land, vehicles, etc.). This is a major threat to our farmers, who own considerable land assets, but operate with low cash flow. It would also have led to mass legal disputes over the proper valuation of unsold property, as well as plummeting long-term business investment.
State Flag Blackmail: This was a bill to withhold state funds from cities and municipalities that refuse to fly the new and unpopular state flag. Minnesotans should have had a say in the changing of our flag and should not be required to fly the new one if they do not want to.

Thank You

Thank you for trusting me to serve as your voice at the State Capitol. It is an honor to represent the interests of Greater Minnesota. I am happy to have been able to work alongside my Republican colleagues and moderate members from the other side of the aisle to pass legislation that will benefit our state for years to come.

I look forward to seeing you in-district this summer!