Committee hears hours of testimony on SF 17-50, adopts DE9 and lays bill over for further work

Representative Ray Rower, filling in for Rep. Kristen Bonner, introduced Senate File 17-50 on Feb. 23, 2026, calling it the product of a year-and-a-half working group and stakeholder negotiations. With the chair’s permission the committee adopted a DE9 amendment to the bill to address concerns raised on the senate floor and by stakeholders.

Members of the public and industry gave more than an hour of testimony. Ron Elwood of Legal Aid testified in support, saying the bill is "a homeowner and consumer protection bill" and credited revisions in the DE9 for addressing earlier concerns. Testimony from housing advocates described frequent, concrete harms, including delays in maintenance, steep attorney fees and displacement; Regina Gonzalez told the committee her family had been displaced "for 8 months now due to mold," and urged statutory protections.

Opponents — including lawyers and management industry representatives — warned the bill in its current form would raise costs and impose unworkable, one-size-fits-all mandates on the state’s diverse common-interest communities. Joel Carlson, representing Greensand & Sellers’ clients, argued the measure "will increase every homeowner's cost" and questioned retroactive effects; Finn Jacobson, counsel for associations, said the bill's dispute-resolution and bidding mandates would create operational burdens that ultimately raise assessments. Brock Cohen, president of the Minnesota Community Association Advocacy, warned procurement and contract restrictions could reduce vendor options and increase prices for homeowners.

Supporters, including Roxanne Young Kimball of the Minnesota Homeownership Center and Jenny Sanford of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, said the DE9 adds conflict-of-interest rules, competitive bidding for large contracts, no-cost informal dispute resolution before charges escalate and limits on fines and late fees, and that those protections are needed to prevent abusive practices and protect affordable homeownership.

Lawmakers pressed witnesses on tradeoffs between protections and administrative cost. Authors and counsel said the DE9 responds to many stakeholder concerns, pointed to a stakeholder tracking spreadsheet of changes and urged continued negotiation. The chair laid the measure over for possible inclusion so authors and interested parties could continue work on open items.

Formal actions recorded in the hearing: the committee adopted the DE9 amendment by voice vote and laid Senate File 17-50 over for possible inclusion; no final passage or referral occurred during this meeting. The committee asked the Department of Commerce ombudsperson and stakeholder groups to continue dialogue and to return with clarifications where needed.

Next procedural step: SF 17-50 is laid over for possible inclusion; the authors and stakeholders will continue to negotiate draft language before the committee considers final action.