[{"_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",6562977,"mediaKeyId","3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46","parentId",3238186,"title","Housing conference committee reviews competing House and Senate funding targets and major appropriations","audioSeconds",378,"startMs",218000,"endMs",596000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46&start=218&end=596","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46/thumbnail_218000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6562977/Minnesota/Housing-conference-committee-reviews-competing-House-and-Senate-funding-targets-and-major-appropriations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562977-2dce65be47b1883357d847e012657864/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612346&Signature=T6Afzm-xsGJo0vaVTLiODLhGS6TIr3Lm8YnorV70SRQY9FrU0xPnDWSJNXUpjuh6jGRBj6-Pasfi6GzzggFMLgsATPPYYnjJ2XnhIZuLMUA2Wh8GKUZaGJxDo6M-4Vf78KI7DQfuTmvEMVp2sguADpQnbo77W2bvwOgECIvKvbbPTCcEwvmid58moG~daJkYPHguSBAWLMYz6KOhsgoG-YIcTmrL~z2P8-H~Ew6P~Vc-hvm4hVJs8c-RNJDDizCjwMrkqh2p40mOAS7kQVgMfBaw-K89Fr~uIpQ6g8iYS9I4Q-KboXt5uEtctpgjqbzYfMwLgHzj19N6z8IP4MX0vw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-05-08T21:15:56Z","article","The Minnesota Legislature’s conference committee on the housing finance omnibus met to compare the House and Senate positions on funding and policy for affordable housing programs, with nonpartisan fiscal staff from both bodies walking members through a spreadsheet of line‑by‑line differences.

Senate fiscal staff Eric Olafson told the committee that “the senate position… was a net additional spend of 3,000,000 from the general fund” for the fiscal 2026–27 period and an additional $1,000,000 for fiscal 2028–29, numbers he said meet the Senate’s budget targets. House fiscal analyst Katrina Highmark summarized the House position as substantially larger, saying the House’s change items total about $75,450,000 for fiscal 2026–27 and $7,600,000 for fiscal 2028–29, meeting the House target of roughly $75 million in the 2026–27 biennium.

Why it matters: the two positions contain many identical policy provisions but differ primarily on spending levels, one‑time vs. ongoing funding, and certain bonding and debt‑service proposals. Those funding differences will determine which programs receive larger, one‑time boosts and which receive ongoing base increases.

Key program amounts and differences

- Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP): House staff said FHPAP would receive $30,150,000 in fiscal 2026 in the House position, with ongoing funding that produces a $30,600,000 line in fiscal 2026–27 and $900,000 in fiscal 2028–29. Senate staff described a smaller, one‑time bump of $10,150,000 in fiscal 2026 under the Senate position.

- Housing infrastructure bonds (HIVs) and debt service: The House position includes a proposal to allow Minnesota Housing to issue $100 million in housing infrastructure bonds and to appropriate money to pay debt service; staff said the debt‑service payment would start in fiscal 2028 (about $1,000,000 in fiscal 2028 rising to $5,600,000 in fiscal 2029 for a $7,600,000 two‑year impact). The Senate position does not include the same debt‑service appropriation in its side‑by‑side.

- Greater Minnesota housing infrastructure grants and other one‑time appropriations: the House proposed larger one‑time allocations (for example, $20,000,000 in fiscal 2026 for Greater Minnesota housing infrastructure grants versus the Senate’s $2,000,000 in a different phasing). The House also proposes larger one‑time workforce and challenge program appropriations.

- Cancellations and transfers: Senate staff identified a $10,000,000 one‑time cancellation in FY25 tied to the communities single‑family NOA (naturally occurring affordable housing) item, and a repeal of a transfer to the housing support account that the staff estimated would save $450,000 in FY25 and ongoing savings thereafter.

Contingent provisions and cross‑bill links

Olafson noted one contingent item outside the housing bill: an appropriation in the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety omnibus (House File 2432, first unofficial engrossment) that would apply a contingent proportional reduction to Minnesota Housing Finance Agency appropriations and a corresponding contingent appropriation of $66,500,000 to reimburse landlords during an eviction moratorium for tenants with Section 8 rental vouchers. Olafson said that provision is included in the side‑by‑side as a contingent article and flagged it for members’ attention.

Discussion and next steps

Chairs and members spent most of the hearing on the staff walkthrough and public testimony; no formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript. Committee chairs said they need a global budget target before completing conference negotiations and expect to post future meetings at least 24 hours in advance when possible.

Speakers quoted in this article appear in the speakers section below. The full side‑by‑side spreadsheet and the line‑by‑line walk‑through served as the factual basis for the figures above.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Conference Committee on SF2298 5/8/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Minnesota Legislature’s conference committee on the housing finance omnibus met to compare the House and Senate positions on funding and policy for affordable housing programs, with nonpartisan fiscal staff from both bodies walking members through a spreadsheet of line‑by‑line differences.","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},6562963,"Tenant education, hotline funding and program changes draw support from tenant advocates",564,2205000,2769000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46&start=2205&end=2769","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46/thumbnail_2205000.jpg","/articles/6562963/Minnesota/Tenant-education-hotline-funding-and-program-changes-draw-support-from-tenant-advocates","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562963-d0ea55ab6c911b11888c8f3ec2c1d4fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612346&Signature=FN5Fsuq7FdNaBLAkSNoAR4qQe2uxlXpUm528-nrdSufHJnO7OFIGKZ1LueqxhZ2N6xW0Sl0IE2ygnTmk5qCwuC7G50vfHOG~Ejs8IiGpEFaD6AY-qmrAydCatB8aLhvIdqHUCcOvCKoHxPihPg5dtMIsLVoOLDHXxR0GSc-iTa4Z5Gd3ecL5gbJN4FWiT5SdEuk9cfzYr7EfgEVIIFUsPqycSFvAmAjNO4iXiETeJwoOKyjDbyPr5adYZS9wEVh4laiwvBH0XOOVBq7ezSIQYg83l6vV7QOrDM-xUi0BGdBLvibF43CfTBq4o4A2d-2A2LqBdWFOQcq47s8fDR8T5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tenant advocates and service providers told the housing conference committee the House bill’s tenant‑focused provisions — including funding for a statewide tenant education hotline and clarifications to rental assistance recertification rules — would expand access to legal help and tenant education across Minnesota.

Michael Dahl, public policy director at HomeLine (the statewide tenant advocacy and hotline organization), told the committee HomeLine has fielded more than 20,000 contacts over recent years and asked for the House’s $500,000 one‑time funding for a statewide tenant education and hotline service. Dahl said the work is in high demand and that, without additional resources, response times and coverage, especially in Greater Minnesota, will suffer.

Melissa Taphorn, legislative chair for Minnesota NARO and executive director of the Washington County Community Development Agency, asked the committee to include a technical amendment in the House bill that clarifies program administrators will annually recertify participant incomes to determine rental assistance amounts (changing what had been described as annual eligibility recertification to annual income recertification). Taphorn said this change aligns state practice with federal rental assistance recertification procedures and would simplify administration for program administrators.

Other tenant‑oriented items in the side‑by‑side included: requirements for Minnesota Housing to publish landlord/tenant rights information and provide a link to the attorney general’s publication; Senate provisions limiting the commissioner’s use of appropriated funds for administrative costs; and House language creating a $150,000 one‑time task force on accessible housing.

No votes were recorded on these items during the hearing; advocates asked conferees to preserve tenant‑services funding and the clarifying recertification language in the final bill.

Speakers for this article are listed in the speakers section below.","Tenant advocates urged the conference committee to adopt House provisions that expand tenant education and hotline funding, clarify recertification rules for state rental assistance, and strengthen tenant resources.",{"_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},6562968,"Advocates urge continued funding for first‑generation down‑payment aid and homeownership counseling",1686,1884000,3570000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46&start=1884&end=3570","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46/thumbnail_1884000.jpg","/articles/6562968/Minnesota/Advocates-urge-continued-funding-for-firstgeneration-downpayment-aid-and-homeownership-counseling","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562968-ab3505e9f99c450c8a7653410f4b02c0/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612346&Signature=jckuS6sHc3sxhhNORqdjnIXAxF5Wa0GJV4jgG6DlOJGBgWd6uY7j-DMjaUpPvzlG8RKTk9xe3pe2cG1S-gnPcpLvB8ReOL7oEOhtPwdj7w9dMJBMwzGtmQtE7J6jGNdaRAOD~OB12Kv579MxlD6fZeLyNvB-ewZ1471Af7vIsJp2PHcWzyJ16k1PfVc7X4oBgkwo0B-J9hfPUMFtUGHfYcqMK9ZsoVWXL9~98JK~EV-x4sBwNVJ2wwNF3TjRx44Xk-uHFBvHtB6dC-cc7XxKe2K0rJjexNocm83F-WoqW3axCkX748WIHQiBVnZAZcvNEor0Iji00vcKbSf3LIjZ4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Advocates representing homeowners, homebuyer counseling, nonprofit developers, and manufactured‑housing organizations told the housing conference committee they support continued and expanded funding for programs that promote homeownership and preserve affordable owner‑occupied home sites.

Paul Edgar, senior vice president of government affairs for the Minnesota Realtors Association, spoke in favor of the Senate’s funding for the community‑based first‑generation homebuyer down‑payment assistance program. “We are proud members of the coalition that worked on the innovative pilot program, which was funded by the legislature in 2023,” Edgar said, and he urged the committee to “prioritize funding for this program at some level so the great support the pilot program is providing for first generation homebuyers can continue.”

Roxanne Young Kimball, president and CEO of the Minnesota Homeownership Center, said the first‑generation program has helped households of color: “Over 90% of the households served by the first gen community down payment assistance program have been households of color,” she said, and noted the pilot was originally funded at $100 million in 2023 with an expected 2,900 homebuyers served; as of April 30 the program had helped nearly 1,000 homebuyers with about 1,200 additional households in the pipeline.

Advocates also urged support for other homeownership and preservation tools. Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota and the Minnesota Consortium of Community Developers both endorsed the House’s larger one‑time investments in housing infrastructure bonds and the workforce and challenge programs, and urged continued access to the community‑based first‑generation assistance. Emily Stewart of North Country Cooperative Foundation emphasized manufactured‑home community preservation and described a recent resident‑owned community conversion that used state direct appropriations, and asked negotiators to direct housing infrastructure bond proceeds toward manufactured home community redevelopment work as needed.

Why it matters

Proponents said preserving and expanding down‑payment assistance and counseling is a targeted way to increase sustainable homeownership and address racial homeownership gaps. Counselors and intermediaries said that without ongoing base funding the counseling network risks service reductions that could increase foreclosure risk.

Clarifying details offered in testimony

- First‑generation down‑payment assistance: pilot funded with $100,000,000 in 2023; staff and advocates said nearly 1,000 homebuyers served as of April 30 with another 1,200 in the pipeline.
- Homebuyer education and counseling: the Homeownership Center and the HECAT counseling network provide statewide counseling; testimony asked for an $857,000 base increase to avoid service reductions.
- Manufactured home community redevelopment (MHCR): advocates described MHCR as an important program to repair infrastructure and enable resident ownership; testimony noted MHCR has funded multiple projects and preserved hundreds of home sites.

There were no formal votes recorded on these requests at the hearing; advocates asked negotiators to preserve or expand these programs in the final conference agreement.","Housing advocates and industry groups told the conference committee they support ongoing funding for the community-based first‑generation down‑payment assistance program, homebuyer counseling, and manufactured home community preservation programs.",{"_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},6562973,"State budget staff warns constitutional risk for House rental assistance demonstration language",155,1464000,1619000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46&start=1464&end=1619","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3238186-6a904ae204a89862d88665425e4b9a46/thumbnail_1464000.jpg","/articles/6562973/Minnesota/State-budget-staff-warns-constitutional-risk-for-House-rental-assistance-demonstration-language","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562973-a37dc3619dab8d51eaf94094f2d91d34/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612346&Signature=WzOxdL6dfhHcJpbnnhzTA9dsPVC22DopZiHjN3ToYBjQqxJU1xF0xhzNXH0d4tnudy2otb0BfoYYJdy0EVOjQ7dPZ2d9TctDZMn~uey5DIsojPfskqsbWtHr8VZYAkbj847ZhMfP1ThGVxQZQHiGARS7xf8yEsOV-OkuC4UIv1rqxb~c1HjWsRmftnX8Xf3SRl1maCkhfbdY3EiYJAi3kXa1X7H33WkHDicKytawO~BJkVXz1adQJep~-Mo9Y9587Tzfmf0gFF1KvuANnUbF2rD2~nAAP2wc-c9pm38wbJEl1AB0z094FbcrPwBfLHuY9sALZFARZxqIyF6cD3m0sQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Assistant Commissioner Jennifer Hassimer of Minnesota Management and Budget told the conference committee she was concerned the House’s rental assistance demonstration provision may not meet Minnesota’s constitutional ownership requirements for state general‑obligation bonds.

Hassimer introduced herself as “Jennifer Hassimer, assistant commissioner for debt management at Minnesota Management and Budget,” and later warned: “The Minnesota constitution clearly limits the use of state bonds to capital projects owned by the state or by political subdivisions of the state. That ownership requirement is not just a formality or a check the box exercise. It's a constitutional obligation that protects the public's investment.”

What the House language would do

House staff and several proponents described a provision (house side of the side‑by‑side beginning on page R28) that would allow housing and redevelopment authorities or related entities to create public corporations that could access state general‑obligation bonding and federal rental assistance demonstration programs. MMB said that for some HUD programs — in particular the Section 18 pathway referenced by MMB — ownership transfers to third parties can include entities that are not political subdivisions under Minnesota law, creating uncertainty over whether those projects could be financed with state bonds.

MMB’s recommendation and risk

Hassimer said the department appreciates the conversations with advocates and legislators but urged caution. “Given the uncertainty in implementing it, it risks slowing down the administration of this important funding source,” she said, and “we urge the conference committee not to adopt this language.” She described the department’s role as steward of state finances and its duty to ensure bonds comply with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Stakeholder reaction

Minnesota NARO (housing and redevelopment authorities) and other local HRA advocates testified in favor of language that would allow public corporations tied to HRAs to participate in rehabilitation and preservation financing. NARO’s legislative chair, Melissa Taphorn, told the committee the proposed language narrows eligibility to public corporations “fully owned, operated, and funded by the original housing authority” and that HRAs have been working with MMB and Minnesota Housing to identify workable pathways.

Next steps

Committee staff and members did not record a final decision on the provision during the hearing. MMB recommended the committee consider legal risks against the expected benefits and continue technical discussions to identify a pathway that will withstand constitutional scrutiny.

Speakers in this article are listed in the speakers section below.","Minnesota Management and Budget told the housing conference committee that a House provision to create public corporations eligible for state general obligation bonding may not meet constitutional ownership requirements, risking legal and implementation delays.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Housing conference committee reviews competing House and Senate funding targets and major appropriations

Tenant education, hotline funding and program changes draw support from tenant advocates

Advocates urge continued funding for first‑generation down‑payment aid and homeownership counseling

State budget staff warns constitutional risk for House rental assistance demonstration language