Capitol Watch: Finally some policy to talk about

Since Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth is Speaker of the House, she gets to control the order of bills introduced at the re-start of the 2025 session. House Republicans communicated their policy priorities with the introduction of the first 25 bills.

Not surprisingly, fighting fraud is a top priority for them, with the first three bills addressing this topic. Tax cuts are also a priority, with bills to eliminate the delivery fee enacted in 2023 and further cut taxes on social security income. House File 4 would automatically return budget surpluses to taxpayers. Education is also a top priority with one bill to modify the READ act, which was passed in 2023. House File 19 would create an Education Savings Account worth $7,000 per kid to be used for tuition, tutoring, books, technology or special education services. American Experiment is partnering with Opportunity for All Kids (OAK) on a campaign to promote this effort. Check it out here:

The rest of the top 25 bills introduced are a solid list of policy ideas that seek to walk the state back from the cliff it went off when Democrats and Gov. Tim Walz controlled all of the levers of government.

One last bill to highlight is House File 12, which restricts female sports team participation to the female sex. The bill is a reaction to the stance taken by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL).

Here is the complete list of priorities from the House Republicans:

H. F. 1, A bill for an act relating to state government; establishing an Office of the Inspector General; providing powers; specifying duties; requiring a fraud reporting hotline; requiring agencies to halt payments when fraud is suspected; eliminating agency-based offices of inspector general;

H. F. 2, A bill for an act relating to state government; requiring fraud reporting; strengthening grants management requirements; establishing a criminal penalty;

H. F. 3, A bill for an act relating to state government; requiring the legislative auditor to submit a report to the legislature related to an agency’s implementation of internal control or fiscal management recommendations;

H. F. 4, A bill for an act relating to taxation; proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution by adding a section to article X; requiring that a portion of a projected budget surplus be returned to state taxpayers;

H. F. 5, A bill for an act relating to government finance; repealing retail delivery fee; providing an unlimited Social Security subtraction;

H. F. 6, A bill for an act relating to education; modifying the Read Act; establishing an Office of Achievement and Innovation in the Department of Education; modifying equity, diversity, and inclusion appropriation; requiring the commissioner to establish a school performance report system;

H. F. 7, A bill for an act relating to public safety; providing that data held by law enforcement agencies regarding the person or entity that posted bail are public; requiring notice to the agency having custody of the arrested or detained person when bail or a bond is posted; establishing mandatory minimum sentences for certain sex trafficking offenses;

H. F. 8, A bill for an act relating to environment; improving efficiency of Wetland Conservation Act determinations; modifying permitting efficiency reporting requirements; improving the efficiency of the environmental and resource management permit application process; requiring the Pollution Control Agency to issue separate permits for the construction and operation of certain facilities; modifying the expedited permitting process of the Pollution Control Agency; requiring petitioners for environmental assessment worksheets to reside in the affected or adjoining counties;

H. F. 9, A bill for an act relating to energy; modifying the hydroelectric capacity that qualifies as an eligible energy technology under the renewable energy standard; delaying the requirement for electric utilities to meet the renewable energy, solar, or carbon-free standard under certain conditions; prohibiting the demolition of fossil-fuel-powered electric generating plants under certain conditions; abolishing prohibition on issuing certificate of need for new nuclear power plant;

H. F. 10, A bill for an act relating to state government; prohibiting state-funded services to undocumented noncitizens; providing that undocumented noncitizens are ineligible for MinnesotaCare and the North Star Promise scholarship program;

H. F. 11, A bill for an act relating to employment; delaying the implementation of the Minnesota Paid Leave Law by one year;

H. F. 12, A bill for an act relating to education; restricting female sports team participation to the female sex;

H. F. 13, A bill for an act relating to public safety; eliminating the duty to retreat before using reasonable force in defense of self or others;

H. F. 14, A bill for an act relating to transit; establishing a temporary moratorium on certain light rail transit expenditures;

H. F. 15, A bill for an act relating to education; requiring student and staff safety measures to be included in each school district’s long-term facilities maintenance school facility plan; increasing safe schools funding; creating school security systems grants;

H. F. 16, A bill for an act relating to law enforcement; prohibiting immigration law enforcement noncooperation ordinances and policies; providing for use of immigration-related data; requiring county attorneys to notify federal immigration authorities when an undocumented person is arrested for a crime of violence;

H. F. 17, A bill for an act relating to public safety; amending the Minnesota Personal Protection Act; creating lifetime permits to carry handguns; reducing the application fee for permits to carry;

H. F. 18, A bill for an act relating to taxation; sales and use; expanding the exemption for certain baby products;

H. F. 19, A bill for an act relating to education; establishing education savings accounts;

H. F. 20, A bill for an act relating to government data practices; clarifying the classification of certain data maintained by the attorney general;

H. F. 21, A bill for an act relating to state government; requiring supermajority approval by each house of the legislature to extend a peacetime emergency beyond 14 days;

H. F. 22, A bill for an act relating to families; creating a parent’s bill of rights;

H. F. 23, A bill for an act relating to employment; modifying whistleblower protections for public employees;

H. F. 24, A bill for an act relating to health; making changes to born alive infant provisions;

H. F. 25, A bill for an act relating to health; establishing a program to provide grants to women’s pregnancy centers and maternity homes.