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Committee hears broad support for establishing a Healthy Aging subcabinet and plan; bill laid over
Summary
House File 2725 would establish a Healthy Aging subcabinet, a director and a Citizens Engagement Council, tasked with producing a Minnesota Healthy Aging Plan. Testimony from advocates, county officials and retirees emphasized housing, transportation, health care and volunteer contributions from older adults; the bill was laid over for possible
House File 2725, proposing a Minnesota Healthy Aging subcabinet and a statewide Healthy Aging Plan, drew extensive public testimony and bipartisan discussion on April 3.
Representative Cleburne (chairing the item) said the bill follows 17 months of work and recommendations from the Legislative Task Force on Aging, which met August 2023 through December 2024. The bill would create a Healthy Aging subcabinet within Management and Budget, establish a director, specify subcabinet membership and duties, create a Citizens Engagement Council to give older Minnesotans a voice in planning, authorize the office to apply for grants and issue contracts, and charge the subcabinet with producing a Minnesota Healthy Aging Plan and an annual report.
Public testimony highlighted the demographic context and the need for coordinated statewide planning. Christine Sundberg, executive director of Elder Voice Advocates, said the organization worked with the task force and supports the bill. Kathleen Kelso, a board member of Elder Voice Advocates, told the committee the task force heard seniors and providers raise concerns about housing, transportation, service fragmentation and the need for long‑term planning beyond short‑term projects.
County Commissioner Gregory Wright testified that all 87 counties are aging and lack a statewide strategic plan; he urged support for a subcabinet and citizen engagement to produce a strategic plan. Leif Grena, president of the Minneapolis Regional Retirees Council, described older adults as a substantial volunteer workforce and said statewide planning is needed to coordinate transportation, housing, health care and civic engagement.
Members' questions and funding
Representative Howard and others asked how the subcabinet would engage on housing and transportation. Chair Cleburne said transportation was the top issue raised to the task force, followed by health care and housing; the subcabinet would coordinate across bills and agencies to ensure legislation and funding "accommodate people no matter their ability." The bill contains an appropriation request listed in committee materials for $1,700,000; Chair Cleburne said negotiations on that figure were ongoing and the bill was being held over for possible inclusion in the finance bill.
Committee outcome
After public testimony and member discussion, committee members renewed the motion to lay House File 2725 over for possible inclusion. No final passage occurred in this hearing; committee staff provided the task force report and pledged continuing coordination.
Ending
Supporters characterized the bill as an effort to move Minnesota from ad‑hoc, short‑term responses toward a coordinated, long‑term plan for aging, with particular attention to Greater Minnesota's demographic trends and transportation and housing barriers.
