[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6653396,"mediaKeyId","2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160","parentId",2479929,"title","Panel approves amended bill requiring certain cities and counties to maintain and publish policies and procedures; cities' groups oppose","audioSeconds",1208,"startMs",5329910,"endMs",6538850,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160&start=5329&end=6538","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160/thumbnail_5329910.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6653396/Minnesota/Panel-approves-amended-bill-requiring-certain-cities-and-counties-to-maintain-and-publish-policies-and-procedures-cities-groups-oppose","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653396-c623e7e0e2ba61eef94d44709f94073e/orig.mp4?Expires=1774939511&Signature=B-5Rao9aC~FT~geH9nwhFcwq0Eu9grqBBZW-Hr3nhewXEnknXn-PxEpP4FnfyRzEmyVlSOQW7Dh9rGiESwAg18zlN10M6ESL-RlNUoSDLiLXH0eY2SX~xbSSvPUk9lDukqcxw-WIDYjJci4wdoYXPmf~EYM4cWjyEepywAFWvZFTG9DVnNrGvRRadySfdUN-0wOLkfGl2b~51ekWTw~560wYo0MSUNfktNmMFf9J-sZx378H2XkOgQuwQVIc5KnUhnNnCEcFS73k-xfQ0aYNLdUwTCOTSOzONVo8~rfseuqJW4BXaGbNHfEd0eT3GVmpKFk3fte7~WimWK7l4Nwq3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-03-04T00:54:03.77Z","article","The House Election Finance and Government Operations Committee on March 3 approved amended language to House File 554 and voted to re-refer the bill to the Judiciary Committee after debate about scope, administrative burden and whether the requirements are duplicative of existing law.

Chair Quam said the bill’s intent is to increase transparency by requiring local governments to maintain and make available policies, procedures and certain operational details so that residents and staff have a consistent reference for how services and fees are handled. The original bill was described as covering a broad set of municipal documents; the author offered technical drafting amendments and a scope amendment (A2) that exempted cities with populations under 10,000 and counties with populations under 40,000.

Pierre Oulet of the League of Minnesota Cities testified in opposition, saying a coalition of local-government groups signed a letter in the committee packet and that many cities already provide documents and services online. Oulet said the bill would impose costs and duplicate existing requirements under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and other laws, and he urged the committee to leave operational decisions to local elected officials.

Representative Coulter and others argued that picking arbitrary population thresholds could unfairly exclude some communities, and raised concerns about potential privacy implications and increased data-practice requests. The author responded that larger jurisdictions already have staff and systems in place and that the A2 amendment provides a clear threshold; the committee adopted the A2 amendment. Representative Freiberg then requested a roll-call and the committee voted 6–5 to re-refer HF 554 as amended to the Judiciary Committee.

With the referral, the bill goes to Judiciary for further review; opponents signaled concern about duplicate obligations, potential costs for small governments and the interaction with existing data-practices protections.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee 3/3/25","oneSentenceSummary","The committee adopted technical and scope amendments to House File 554, voted to re-refer it to the Judiciary Committee, and heard opposition from the League of Minnesota Cities, which argued the proposal would be duplicative and impose undue costs on local governments.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6653402,"Committee advances bill to verify permanent absentee voters before mailing ballots; Secretary of State opposes as written",1688,3639830,5328810,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160&start=3639&end=5328","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160/thumbnail_3639830.jpg","/articles/6653402/Minnesota/Committee-advances-bill-to-verify-permanent-absentee-voters-before-mailing-ballots-Secretary-of-State-opposes-as-written","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653402-821486a1f78b6d2d28f70c6783e3f889/orig.mp4?Expires=1774939511&Signature=orO3lMuLvZyw0mO62ViFbTajh4WjOBtH3ADtg~pEg2tjs3y0IU1svMG0ye4QGH24KXeWRMbWw6XwQQbm1YpHm0CfVSgqEJdv6K3tokzaFWnIc5n72ixirUGDWowvAyMUlUXbE-TDqQyyokS5RAJ32Twzi6dCYZBcGWLvQRDIzSB1m5UbYRKMx99BV8xVWEco5fwhh15LEojQLodOCFghZfLY5vQLnVQjOX2OiEVc4de1ibaDAEWTh2quqYExhp2EmmQgLExLJsLdnqgQaPqkLVU8CvUHODTruOkwnGu4iC--3kOvBDcdeLKCW9ghFGZP~bKMLr4ByQqGauUSdAtYyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee voted to recommend House File 14 96 to pass and be referred to the General Register after a hearing in which the Secretary of State’s office described existing processes for maintaining voter registration and flagged concerns about the bill as written.

Chair Quam said the bill would require that, before automatically mailing an absentee ballot to a voter on the permanent absentee list, election officials verify the record for deaths, moves or other changes using federal and state data sources. He described the measure as intended to reduce instances where ballots are mailed to ineligible addresses, citing an earlier example in which a ballot was mailed for a registrant who had died.

Nicole Freeman of the Office of the Secretary of State testified to committee members that her office already receives regular updates from Drivers and Vehicle Services (DVS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) that are used to verify identities and maintain registration accuracy. Freeman described additional upkeep tools the office uses: postal verification cards (non-forwardable), national change-of-address data, reports from other states, monthly death-record feeds from the Department of Health and SSA, reports from the Department of Corrections, and membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a multistate data-sharing consortium.

Freeman told the committee the verification sources cited in the bill are already part of routine maintenance and that the Secretary of State’s office would not support the bill as drafted. Committee members who supported the bill said they wanted an added layer of certainty that ballots are not mailed to deceased or relocated voters and said they would press for verification procedures; supporters argued the bill could prevent the specific example earlier cited and improve public confidence.

Chair Quam renewed his motion to recommend the bill to the General Register; members voted by voice and the chair announced the bill passed and would move forward.","The committee approved House File 14 96 to require verification checks before mailing absentee ballots to voters on the permanent absentee list; the Secretary of State’s office testified that its existing monthly checks (DVS, SSA, ERIC, death records) already address many of the concerns and said it would not support the bill as drafted.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6653406,"Committee lays over bill to disclose out-of-district campaign contributions; technical fixes and cost questions remain",1432,2031800,3463940,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160&start=2031&end=3463","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160/thumbnail_2031800.jpg","/articles/6653406/Minnesota/Committee-lays-over-bill-to-disclose-out-of-district-campaign-contributions-technical-fixes-and-cost-questions-remain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653406-a3e39d707b6c2d07825f4a26b6da3651/orig.mp4?Expires=1774939511&Signature=LSrgrKTHrUGCcihnp9XZPWRyAn4bXwV6wCutgP55YBRTNvuvwoEE6KhSqBfcnlmW2O1x-p0BecKE5fs39jUcVt0gDHSJUDTYSNrMVxNQmsy2eEWupBsyB38GPUtErK-8rymRn3qYJlQQt786~QWLq0dtvH-PWdoL~qCL15rWks6fb~FbsCbEyT0HnbbP8QKAI64JnSDPJhoMbdzxCLvnE8aAbzBiyTkuGTkGgOYFxSRg05VQZ1ny76Uztr1Yk7sXg9BvwyyeEptSLMKiCcRep3rKTRivHpxwRX9yboODXsoVsbUM6Wkzy~qBICJJS2rYdHe0cEIQQjs3dpvKe9MytA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Election Finance and Government Operations Committee laid over House File 14 47, with the DE1 amendment, for possible inclusion after debate about disclosure thresholds, technical drafting and potential costs to update campaign finance reporting systems.

Chair Quam described the bill as an effort to increase transparency about contributions originating outside a candidate’s legislative district or the state. Representative Lee and others offered amendments and asked whether the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (CFPB) — represented by Jeff Sigurdsson — had the technical capacity and staff to implement the proposed reporting changes.

Jeff Sigurdsson, speaking for the CFPB, said the feasibility depends on the legislature’s expectation. He explained there are two implementation approaches: 1) require the treasurer or filer to indicate whether a contributor is in-district or not (a small user-interface change), or 2) have the CFPB link addresses to district boundaries (for example by querying the legislature’s GIS) and automatically flag contributions, which would be more complex and could require contractor work. Sigurdsson said he believed the fiscal impact “would not be real significant” for a modest modification but recommended consulting CFPB IT staff for a formal fiscal note.

Representative Greenman proposed changing the metric from in-district to out-of-state contributions to ease administration for volunteer treasurers; a technical oral amendment was discussed. Multiple amendments were offered and at least one amendment failed on a roll-call (6 no, 5 yes). The DE1 text was adopted in committee and HF 14 47 was laid over as amended for possible inclusion.

Committee members asked that any changes be workable for volunteer treasurers and discussed whether the Campaign Finance Board should receive appropriations to cover contractor work if a software change is required. The committee did not finalize a fiscal note during the hearing and left the bill laid over to allow additional drafting and potential cost estimates.","The committee laid over House File 1447 (DE1) for possible inclusion after adopting a technical amendment and debating disclosure and IT costs to require candidates to report small-dollar out-of-district contributions; the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board warned implementation may require system changes and a fiscal note.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6653409,"House panel approves bills blocking local bans on natural gas and propane hookups",1087,36100,1123150,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160&start=36&end=1123","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2479929-9935504747d773579f0a53163916d160/thumbnail_36100.jpg","/articles/6653409/Minnesota/House-panel-approves-bills-blocking-local-bans-on-natural-gas-and-propane-hookups","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653409-c2432d366a2bfa39bbaabbfe6f51884a/orig.mp4?Expires=1774939511&Signature=eSoGLd3a74cNGxsw29hJM1pkUSrIvUQd8zupab8wNo-6JiyaZEzfI~0aBCT2UfjCMKEEpVwYctwrx9BsK7iNwKrIg09tzA5~mmDbQT13GlYngHJOXrrC~g4BX0F3RGFEWOw2LvjHaSF-EJ7f9xvAC454VruaPqmPVz0JtPSans5JCMeD4CRy8kGMDiUtvX8-Z2XeWzfqVY2QVgkxAKVrx-bksJx0D42L~s-NM-cy8StDE41fvDkeKILTANdNiaMiE8OGUaOMjVEQGPJLCNF8jXOk8j0aZ5GWdGJBR-GU5v5FlxKO5Hx~C1Aix0OIuu-loSXnXtzKFKdWPQhwYE9rrA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Election Finance and Government Operations Committee on March 3 recommended passage of two related bills that would bar local governments from banning natural gas or propane hookups in new residential construction and forwarded both measures to the House Housing Committee after separate 6–5 roll-call votes.

Representative Shane Mecklen, sponsor of House File 484, told the committee the bill is intended to preserve “affordable and reliable fuel source options” for home construction and to protect consumer choice for heating during cold weather. Mecklen said the measure responds to a national movement by some cities and counties to prohibit new natural gas hookups and that the bill would preempt local prohibitions.

The committee heard similar testimony for House File 483, which Representative Gordon described as a related measure that specifically includes propane and contains grandfathering provisions. Mark Foster, vice president of legislative and political affairs for Housing First Minnesota, testified in support and said residential construction costs and a housing shortage mean policy changes should be viewed through an affordability lens. Dave Wager, executive director of the Minnesota Propane Association, also testified in favor, arguing that propane and natural gas provide reliability during electrical outages and citing increased electricity demand from proposed data centers.

Supporters cited several data points during testimony: U.S. Energy Information Administration figures that they said showed 65% of residential energy use in Minnesota came from natural gas in 2022; a statewide median new single-family home price cited as north of $540,000; and reporting that multiple proposed data centers in the Twin Cities could add roughly 3,800 megawatts of demand. Wager and others argued that those trends make continued consumer access to gas and propane important for reliability and affordability.

Opponents and skeptical members, including Representative Acum and Representative Coulter, urged deference to local governments and questioned the need for a statewide preemption. Representative Acum noted legal uncertainty about bans on gas hookups outside certain federal circuits and emphasized local zoning and land-use authority. Representative Coulter and others asked why infrastructure and hookup issues could not remain a local decision and raised concerns about restricting municipal authority to respond to community preferences.

In committee action, Representative Davis moved that House File 484 be recommended to pass and be referred to the Housing Committee. The roll call recorded six ayes and five nays; the clerk announced the bill passed and was re-referred to housing. A separate motion to recommend House File 483 (including propane and grandfathering language) also passed by a 6–5 roll call and was re-referred to the Housing Committee.

The measures now move to the Housing Committee for further consideration.","The House Election Finance and Government Operations Committee recommended passage of two related bills that would prevent local governments from prohibiting natural gas or propane hookups in new residential construction, advancing both measures to the Housing Committee after close 6–5 votes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Panel approves amended bill requiring certain cities and counties to maintain and publish policies and procedures; cities' groups oppose

Committee advances bill to verify permanent absentee voters before mailing ballots; Secretary of State opposes as written

Committee lays over bill to disclose out-of-district campaign contributions; technical fixes and cost questions remain

House panel approves bills blocking local bans on natural gas and propane hookups