Committee refers Brady/Giglio procedure bill to Ways and Means as fiscal note is revised

House File 962 (DE4), a bill intended to modify procedures around prosecutor disclosure (often discussed in the context of Brady and Giglio obligations), was heard by the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee on April 16, 2026 and was referred to Ways and Means for further work.

Nancy Hough, representing the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, testified that stakeholders including county attorneys, public defenders and municipal groups had been engaged in drafting the amendment package. Hough said Hennepin County estimated the bill would reduce court involvement related to these motions by roughly 99%.

"Hennepin County estimates that this will result in a 99% reduction of court involvement," Hough said in committee testimony.

Committee members repeatedly requested a revised fiscal note after staff and court representatives identified potential mismatches between the fiscal note and the bill's current DE4 language. Members noted the bill’s promise to reduce court workload but expressed concern about possible new costs to courts if the fiscal note is not corrected.

Several members described the bill as the product of extensive stakeholder compromise and said moving it to Ways and Means would allow the fiscal questions and outstanding technical amendments to be resolved. The author renewed a motion to refer the bill; the committee approved referral and the bill was sent to Ways and Means for additional review and any necessary amendments.

Committee staff said the bill would next go to the Rules Committee and could require a waiver to meet calendar deadlines; speakers cautioned that referral does not ensure final passage and that Ways and Means would scrutinize any court funding implications.

Sponsors and staff asked members and interested parties to continue to work on technical fixes while fiscal staff prepare a revised estimate.