Minnesota House adopts session deadlines and approves three bills on auto shows, service dogs and property rules

The Minnesota House on March 17 adopted a Senate concurrent resolution setting deadlines for the 2025 regular session and approved three pieces of legislation: House File 320, clarifying auto‑dealer participation at auto shows; House File 688, extending certain housing and other accommodations protections to service dogs in training; and Senate File 202, which updates multiple real‑property rules and makes transfer‑on‑death‑deed changes retroactive.

The adoption of deadlines and the passage of the three bills were taken during a floor session in St. Paul. Lawmakers also approved a series of noncontroversial motions recalling several house files from one committee and re‑referring them to another.

House calendar and deadline resolution Representative Niska moved that Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 be considered and placed on final adoption to formalize deadlines previously agreed to by leaders in both chambers. The motion was adopted by voice vote. Representative Niska told members the motion reflected agreements already reached by chamber leaders. The clerk recorded the adoption without a roll‑call tally.

House File 320 — auto dealers and auto shows Representative Perryman, the bill author, described House File 320 as “a straightforward bipartisan bill” that “provides statutory clarification that auto dealers can exhibit at an auto show and outlines what auto show participation really looks like.” The bill specifies that vehicles displayed at auto shows are for display only and are not for sale or lease at the show, and it lists activities that are prohibited at the show (for example, dealers may not appraise trade‑ins or display pricing other than MSRP). Perryman said manufacturers and the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association support the clarification. Representative Perryman also answered a question from Representative Liebling about Sunday sales, saying, “Sunday sales will still be closed. They will not be able to sell on the premises where the real story is. However, they can be at the trade show on Sunday.” The roll call on House File 320 showed 125 ayes and 6 nays; the House passed the bill and its title was agreed to.

House File 688 — service dogs in training Representative Frasier, the bill sponsor, told the House that organizations such as Can Do Canines rely on volunteers who host and train service dogs for periods ranging from a few days to over two years. “These volunteers open their homes and hearts, hosting dogs for periods ranging from a few days to over 2 years,” Frasier said, arguing that homeowners association and landlord policies have prevented some volunteers from participating. The bill extends existing legal protections for active service dogs to dogs in training, aiming to remove barriers that have prevented volunteers from offering foster or training homes. The bill received a roll call of 114 ayes and 15 nays and was passed by the House.

Senate File 202 — real property updates Representative Feist explained that Senate File 202 updates rules on partition of property (laws last drafted in 1905 for largely agricultural land), adjusts certain eminent‑domain valuation procedures after consultation with experts, and makes earlier legislation on transfer‑on‑death deeds retroactive so people who prepared their own transfer‑on‑death deeds can correct mistakes. “This is a very exciting bill,” Feist said on the floor, summarizing the three principal changes. The House passed Senate File 202 by a roll call of 119 ayes and 12 nays; the bill’s title was agreed to.

Other motions: committee recalls and referrals The House took and approved multiple noncontroversial motions recalling bills from one committee and re‑referring them to other committees. Those motions recorded on the floor included: - Representative Quam: recall House File 1240 from the Committee on Judiciary, Finance and Civil Law and re‑refer to the Committee on State Government Finance and Policy (motion prevailed). - Representative Franson: recall House File 2292 from the Committee on State Government Finance and Policy and re‑refer to the Committee on Health Finance and Policy (motion prevailed). - Representative Feist: recall House File 2422 from the Committee on Human Services Finance and Policy and re‑refer to the Committee on Public Safety Finance and Policy (motion prevailed). - Representative Tabke: recall House File 2423 from the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy and re‑refer to the Committee on Energy Finance and Policy (motion prevailed). - Representative Bierman: recall House File 2482 from the Committee on Human Services Finance and Policy and re‑refer to the Committee on Health Finance and Policy (motion prevailed).

Procedure and next steps Most of the floor actions were approved without extended debate; the House adopted the calendar and moved several bills to future floor calendars as designated by the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration. Representative Niska moved and the House agreed to adjourn until 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Votes at a glance - Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 (adoption of session deadlines): adopted (voice vote). - House File 320 (auto dealer participation at auto shows): passed, 125–6. - House File 688 (service dogs in training; housing accommodations and related changes): passed, 114–15. - Senate File 202 (real property: partition, eminent domain valuation, retroactive transfer‑on‑death deed fixes): passed, 119–12. - Committee recall/re‑referral motions (House Files 1240, 2292, 2422, 2423, 2482): all motions prevailed and files were re‑referred as announced on the floor.

(Full text of bills and committee reports were available to members and online; the House record shows the roll‑call tallies listed above.)