Legislative Update
Friends,
After weeks of negotiations, the Minnesota House reconvened Monday for a special session to complete our work on the state budget. I’ve said from the beginning that Minnesotans deserve a responsible, balanced approach – and while not every bill was perfect, we made real progress on several priorities that matter to our communities.
We passed 14 bills in total – 12 omnibus packages and two standalone proposals. I’m proud to report that many of them reflect meaningful reforms, common-sense solutions, and direct benefits for our district and greater Minnesota.
Repealing Taxpayer-Funded Healthcare for Adult Undocumented Immigrants
One of the most important victories this session was repealing the unsustainable expansion of MinnesotaCare to undocumented adults. The original plan would have forced state taxpayers to cover 100% of the cost. I’ve opposed this from the beginning, and I’m glad that common sense won out in the end.
I’ll continue pushing for legislation and a government that prioritizes Minnesotans first.
Human Services Bill: Focused, Responsible Reforms
The Human Services omnibus bill includes practical, people-first reforms that strengthen program oversight and protect essential care:
- Rejected a $400 million cost shift to counties for delivering human services.
- Adopted a new anti-fraud policy to prevent abuse and ensure dollars are going where they’re truly needed.
- Required autism service providers to be licensed and mandated background checks and compliance training for Housing Stabilization providers before enrollment.
- Secured $95 million in funding to help nursing homes manage regulatory changes, with new safeguards requiring that any new rules be paid for up front.
- Reformed nursing home workforce standards to help stabilize long-term care staffing.
- Invested in substance use disorder treatment programs and expanded housing supports.
- Provided $20 million over four years for the Priority Admissions program to help counties secure placements for mentally ill and dangerous individuals.
- Avoided service waitlists and upheld access to essential care across the state.
Workforce & Labor Bill: A Win for Miners, But More Work Ahead
This bill includes provisions to support workers in Greater Minnesota, especially our miners. It also slightly reduces the PFML tax rate and makes modest fixes to the Earned Sick and Safe Time law. While helpful, the bill doesn’t go far enough to address the concerns I continue to hear from small businesses. We’ll need to revisit these issues next session. I’m determined to find a workable solution that supports employees and employers alike.
Education Policy
This year’s education bill included some important steps in the right direction. We protected nonpublic pupil aid, which helps ensure continued support for homeschool, religious, and charter school families. Charter school funding stayed intact, and we made meaningful progress by establishing the Science of Reading as Minnesota’s literacy standard. This is a much-needed change to help our students succeed.
We also added new guardrails on how the Department of Education can use litigation funds, helping ensure taxpayer dollars stay focused on students, not lawsuits.
But there were major concerns, too.
As you know, a divided government means we must reach a compromise on legislation before it can move to the floor. During negotiations, Governor Walz made it clear that he and his party wouldn’t sign off on the bill unless it included an increase to the Department of Education’s budget by $17 million. All the while cutting more than $70 million from our schools. That’s a step backwards. We should be investing in classrooms, not growing bureaucracy. Our students and teachers deserve better.
Looking Ahead
With the special session behind us, the 2025 legislative session is now officially complete. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve and proud of the progress we made on behalf of communities. But make no mistake – there’s still more to be done. I’ll keep fighting for our shared priorities – a responsible budget, local control, and practical solutions that work for the people of northern Minnesota.
Thank you to everyone who reached out this year – your input was a huge help in ensuring final legislation reflected the needs of our district.
I hope to see you back home this summer. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Have a great weekend,
Rep. Bidal Duran
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