Committee sends HF25 to Ways and Means after debate on crisis pregnancy centers, funding and eligibility

Representative Zaliznakar introduced House File 25, describing it as a bill to appropriate $4 million a year: $3 million to pregnancy resource centers and $1 million to maternity homes. “This supports women with options,” the sponsor said during opening remarks.

The committee adopted an A4 amendment clarifying that client data held by eligible centers should be classified as private under Minnesota statute. Representative Finke offered an amendment (A3) to require that recipients not discriminate and to remove language that would make an organization ineligible if it “promotes” or “refers” for abortion; proponents of A3 said the change would protect access to full options and avoid First Amendment problems. The committee rejected A3 on a roll call (6 ayes, 7 nays). The committee then voted to re‑refer House File 25, as amended, to the Committee on Ways and Means; the motion prevailed on a roll call vote reported as 7 ayes and 6 nays.

Testimony before the committee reflected sharply different views on the role and practices of crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). Supporters of the bill, including executives of Pregnancy Choices in Apple Valley and Women’s Life Care Center in Little Canada and a representative of Star of the North Maternity Homes in Duluth, described free services they provide — pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, parenting education, material aid such as diapers and cribs, transportation and life coaching — and said state grants would expand those services to more women. One maternity‑home director described the program as staffed 24/7, serving pregnant people and mothers transitioning to stability, and said the organization had demonstrated measurable attendance and service delivery to clients during a prior state grant period.

Opponents and civil‑rights advocates testified that many CPCs are not medical clinics, that most lack licensed medical personnel, that CPCs often provide misleading information about abortion and that because many CPCs are not covered entities under HIPAA their client data may not be protected by federal privacy law. Samantha Nagler of Gender Justice told the committee that in Minnesota “CPCs outnumber real abortion clinics 11 to 1” (testimony) and cited a 2021 review finding that many CPCs lacked prenatal referrals and made false claims. Jay Belcito of North Minneapolis described an experience he said involved misleading clinic presentation and inaccurate medical assertions.

Representatives who spoke noted procedural and statutory limits. Representative Scott limited discussion to the committee's jurisdiction and said the committee would focus on specific subdivisions. Representative Finke said funding and eligibility should ensure access to all legal options; Representative Rarick observed that the bill language conditions eligibility on use of the grant funds and does not bar organizations from other speech funded by other sources.

After debate and public testimony, the committee voted to send House File 25, as amended, to Ways and Means.