Minn. House Tax Committee lays over HF 1049 after divided debate over unemployment insurance for hourly school workers

Chair Joachim of the Minnesota House Tax Committee opened the hearing on House File 1049 at the committee meeting and moved the bill in committee. HF 1049 combines education finance and limited policy changes, including provisions tied to the Read Act, creation of a basic supplemental aid, optional use of long-term facilities maintenance levies for roof repair, and a scheduled repeal in 2028 of the unemployment insurance (UI) eligibility that was extended to some K–12 hourly school employees in 2023.

Why it matters: HF 1049 would change how several K–12 funding streams interact with property tax levies and state aid, create a new flexible per-pupil basic supplemental aid, direct $40,000,000 toward the Read Act in the first biennium, and set a four-year runway that would end the UI eligibility for certain hourly school employees after the summer of 2028. The measures affect school budgets, district levy capacity, and benefits for education support professionals (ESPs) statewide.

The committee adopted the DE2 amendment by voice vote after the bill sponsors described both finance and policy components. "We had a target of $40,000,000 in the first biennium, dedicated to the Read Act," Representative Joachim said, and explained the bill included a mix of funding reallocations and new flexible uses districts had requested. Christina Perra of House Research summarized the primary policy changes in the bill, saying that the Read Act provisions modify several definitions, add "science of…