Friends and neighbors,

The Senate's pace of legislation is ramping up as we begin to approach legislative deadlines. Our first two deadlines are 5:00 p.m. on March 27, which means that most standalone bills must be passed by their respective Senate committee to be considered for final passage in May. After this, our focus will begin to shift from committee work to more floor debate on bills.

Audit on Autism Programs

On March 17, the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) released a report that identified breakdowns in how the Minnesota Department of Human Services handled fraud in an early intervention autism services program. It found that some allegations, including kickbacks tied to this autism program, were never fully investigated. This is concerning because this program is designed to help our most vulnerable and their families.

The OLA found that spending went from $38.1 million in 2020 to $324.9 million in 2024, a 753% increase in just four years. Federal prosecutors found cases where families were paid between $300–$1,500 (kickbacks) per month per child for services not rendered. Oversight appears to be nonexistent.

Plan for Safe and Smart Kids

The same day, Senate Republicans held a press conference announcing our education plan for student safety and academic performance in the classroom through both policy changes and funding priorities.

Sen. Julia Coleman (Waconia) discussed Senate File (SF) 676, which would require schools to notify parents of any safety incident, and SF 3666, which would give schools the option to hold back third grade students who haven't met reading proficiency skills. SF 753 would require more transparency around curriculum content and add consent requirements for sexual education instruction.

Sen. Zach Duckworth (Lakeville) talked about SF 637, the Safe Haven in Every District (SHIELD) Act, which would provide grants for security efforts like electronic access and restriction, ballistic security glass and wall panels, and mass notification systems, along with security staff training.

Sen. Jason Rarick (Pine City) discussed SF 3930, which would allow school safety funds to be applied to all school types in the state, as well as SF 3878, which would enable a federal tax credit to apply to Minnesota, allowing donors to fund scholarships at no cost to the state.

Sen. Karin Housley (Stillwater) is chief authoring SF 3361, which would give schools flexibility to adjust their budgets without having to raise additional taxes.

Senate Bills Passed

The Senate unanimously passed SF 3832, the Dairy Assistance, Investment, Relief Initiative (DAIRI) program. This bill made some minor technical changes to eligibility requirements for dairy farmers to receive grants that were already appropriated in 2022. 

The Senate passed SF 3602 on a vote of 59–7. This bill would permit the use of electronic signatures and electronic records for estate planning documents other than wills. I voted against this bill because it makes it easier for bad actors to steal homes and businesses.

Lastly, the Senate passed SF 3887 on a vote of 66–1, which would allow watershed management organizations to participate in county self-insurance pools.

Choose freedom,

Cal Bahr

Minnesota Senate, District 31