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Lawmakers create task force to inventory housing taxes, fees and development costs
Summary
Senate File 47‑49 would create a 16‑member task force to study the soft costs, fees, exactions and permitting practices that add to housing development costs across Minnesota; the committee adopted an oral A‑4 amendment to clarify wording and referred the bill to Taxes.
Senate File 47‑49 would establish a 16‑member task force charged with researching permitting costs, fees, exactions and other non‑material "soft costs" that contribute to housing development expenses across Minnesota.
Senator Weber told the committee the group is intended to fill a knowledge gap: while hard costs such as lumber and labor are well known, the legislature lacks statewide data about permitting fees, local exactions, and other requirements that can add tens of thousands to the cost of a lot. The bill specifies membership—including legislative members, state agencies, and housing stakeholders—sets a sunset for the task force, and requires a report to assist committees in addressing those cost drivers.
An oral A‑4 amendment changed phrasing (for example adding the words "related" and "exactions" in key lines and replacing "evaluate" with "analyze") and was adopted. Committee members encouraged inclusion of broad stakeholder representation and noted the report should inform subsequent committee work on targeted reforms.
Procedural outcome: The committee recommended the bill to pass and referred it to Taxes.
