Minn. committee hears $2 million request to support 2026 Special Olympics USA Games

Representative Wayne Johnson asked a Minnesota House committee to consider House File 2258, a request for $2 million in state funding to support the Special Olympics USA Games, which are scheduled for late June 2026 and will be hosted in Minnesota.

The bill would request $1.5 million from the general fund for event operations — including athlete housing and dining and the athlete experience — and $500,000 to support unified work activities aimed at increasing employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, sponsors said. "Only 18.5 of people with intellectual disability are employed to the level of their ability," said Christie Sovereign, identifying workforce inclusion as a key off-field priority.

Sovereign, who introduced…