Minnesota House passes health and licensing bill that expands optometry scope and funds maternal-death study

The Minnesota House passed House File 2464, an act "relating to state government modifying certain health and licensing provisions," as amended, by a roll-call vote of 134 ayes and 0 nays. The bill, which included two adopted amendments, adjusts professional scope and licensing rules, directs additional study and data reporting, and adds bonding language to allow certain health care facilities to use revenue-backed financing.

The bill matters because it alters practice authority for a licensed health profession and directs state-supported study and data flows that lawmakers said will guide policy. Lawmakers also added language to make some health care facilities eligible for revenue bonds and included technical corrections suggested by Minnesota Management and Budget.

Representative Backer, the billauthor, described HF2464 as bipartisan and said it packages several health-related changes, including provisions on sensitive exams, maternal death studies aimed at understanding why minority mothers die in pregnancy and postpartum, trafficking data reporting to legislators, a safe-haven provision allowing parents to drop off unwanted newborns without criminal penalty, changes to physician-physician assistant agreements, optometry scope updates and the bonding language for certain health care facilities.

Representative Bierman introduced amendment A13, which expands prescribing authority and certain procedures for optometrists in Minnesota. "The expanded prescribing and procedures will improve eye care for all of your constituents," Representative Bierman said when explaining the amendment. The House adopted A13 by roll call, 133 ayes and 0 nays.

Representative Bonner introduced amendment A6, a technical amendment based on a suggestion from Minnesota Management and Budget that removed outdated language and clarified employee compensation and benefits allocation. Representative Bonner asked members to vote in favor of the technical change; the House adopted A6 by roll call, 133 ayes and 0 nays.

On the floor during third reading, Representative Bierman framed the optometry provisions as a step toward modernizing scope and keeping oversight with the relevant licensing board. "The bill also keeps the oversight of the profession firmly under the guidance of the board of optometry in Minnesota," Bierman said.

Representative Gander, who identified himself as an optometrist and said he has practiced for 38 years, described optometric education and clinical training in detail and argued that expanding scope for minor eyelid procedures and related care would reduce wait times and provider strain in communities that have lost ophthalmology coverage. "It creates long patient wait times and provider strain. Expanding the scope for optometrists to perform these minor eyelid procedures will ease this burden and improve access to care," Representative Gander said.

After debate and the two amendment votes, the House passed HF2464 as amended by a roll-call vote of 134 ayes and 0 nays. Representatives did not record individual yes/no votes in the published transcript excerpt; the clerk announced the tallies and closed the roll calls.

Members noted the bill will still undergo further work in conference committee. Representative Gander and Representative Backer indicated additional revisions may be needed in conference negotiations before final enactment.

Separately, the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration, pursuant to House rule 1.21, designated House File 3321 to be placed on the calendar for Friday, May 16, 2025; details of HF3321 were not specified on the floor.

Votes at a glance

- Amendment A13 (optometry scope expansion), mover: Representative Bierman — Adopted, 133 ayes, 0 nays. - Amendment A6 (technical, Minnesota Management and Budget), mover: Representative Bonner — Adopted, 133 ayes, 0 nays. - Final passage, House File 2464 as amended — Passed, 134 ayes, 0 nays.

Whatwas not specified on the floor: precise statutory citations for the maternal death-study funding, the exact text of the trafficking-data reporting requirement, the conference committee schedule, and detailed eligibility rules for the bonding authority beyond the floor summary. The clerk announced adopted tallies and closed rolls for each recorded vote.