Bill to require landlords to notify renters about nearby open water advanced with amendment after parent testimony (HF1566)

The House Finance and Policy Committee on March 18 adopted an amendment to House File 15 66 requiring landlords to provide written notice to tenants about nearby open bodies of water and to include contact information for local water safety and swim lesson resources. The author, Representative Hussain, said the measure responds to recent drownings of young children, including members of Minnesota’s East African community, and to parents of autistic children who are at higher risk of elopement and drowning.

Jillian Nelson, policy director for the Autism Society of Minnesota, described near‑death experience her family had when a neighbor left a gate unlatched: "The number one leading cause in the autism community of death is drowning," she said, and the bill would ease the burden on families, who otherwise "have to fight kicking and screaming to have those basic rights met." Maura Arnoldi, a bilingual speech‑language pathologist and mother of an autistic child, and several parents, including a mother who lost her child in Hopkins on June 10, 2024, offered emotional testimony urging passage.

Representative Hussain’s DE1 amendment directs landlords to make tenants aware of nearby open water bodies and to provide a phone number and website, such as for YMCA of the North, that tenants may contact about water safety and swimming lessons. Committee discussion raised drafting issues: Representative Nash noted YMCA of the North is a metro‑area organization and asked whether the bill’s resource list should be broader; others questioned the trigger threshold in the amendment, which requires posting in buildings with more than four rental units.

Cecil Smith of the Minnesota Multi Housing Association said MHA supports the bill’s goal but opposed the amendment as written, describing it as an "unnecessary administrative burden" that could require landlords to track flooded or inaccessible water features, including fenced pools and stormwater basins. Smith also warned the language could create liability and asked for clearer guidance on validation and update requirements.

Representative Hussain said the amendment narrows the bill to information and referral duties and that he is open to working with colleagues to broaden resource references beyond a single provider and to refine unit‑count thresholds. The committee laid House File 15 66 over as amended to allow additional drafting.

Proponents said the measure would formalize information many families lack, especially those with limited English ability, and help connect families to swim‑lesson resources and prevention services; opponents asked the author to clarify definitions and limit unfunded administrative requirements for housing providers.