Legislative Update from Rep. Patti Anderson

Legislative Update

Friends and Neighbors,

This week at the Capitol, we focused on securing accountability in government, protecting fairness in women's sports, reducing unnecessary mandates, and enhancing public safety. Here’s a look at the key issues we tackled:

Committee Action on the Preserving Girls' Sports Act

The Preserving Girls’ Sports Act was heard in committee yesterday, taking an important step toward restoring fairness in women’s athletics. This bill brings Minnesota in line with federal law, ensuring that girls compete against girls—not biological males.

The issue has gained national attention as organizations like the NCAA have allowed biological men to dominate women’s sports, undermining decades of progress for female athletes. While a recent Trump Administration executive order has now prohibited this practice at the federal level, the Minnesota State High School League refuses to comply due to changes to the Minnesota Human Rights Act, passed by Democrats when they had full control last year.

This bill corrects that overreach and ensures that girls' sports remain fair and competitive for generations to come. I will continue fighting for this commonsense legislation to protect opportunities for young female athletes.

Strengthening Oversight of State Grants

The House Fraud and Agency Oversight Committee reviewed Minnesota’s state grants system this week, exposing major accountability gaps. Key takeaways:

• Lack of Oversight: Each agency manages its own grants, leading to inconsistent enforcement.
• Weak Enforcement: Agencies are required to conduct pre-award risk assessments, but only three grants have been terminated since 2023, raising concerns about enforcement.
• No Required Fraud Training: Despite billions in taxpayer dollars at stake, state agencies have no mandatory fraud prevention training.

With over $1 billion in state grants awarded to nonprofits, House Republicans are demanding stronger safeguards to prevent another Feeding Our Future-style scandal.

HF 1 Clears Two More Committee Stops

This week, my Fraud Bill (HF 1) passed through both the State Government Committee and the Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. The bill establishes an independent Office of Inspector General (OIG) to combat fraud in state programs, ensuring nonpartisan oversight. With Minnesota facing over $610 million in fraud and counting, this bill is a crucial step in protecting taxpayer dollars. It will continue moving through committees with bipartisan input before heading to the House floor sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Reducing Mandates & Improving Education

HF 6, heard in committee this week, aims to empower schools and prioritize student success by removing unnecessary mandates and promoting career-focused education models like P-TECH. This bill:

• Eliminates outdated state mandates that limit school flexibility.
• Establishes the Office of Achievement & Innovation to promote best practices.
• Cancels certain equity, diversity, and inclusion appropriations in favor of merit-based student achievement policies.
• Creates a school performance reporting system for greater transparency.

Republicans are committed to putting parents and students first—not bureaucratic red tape. This bill should help increase parental involvement and is a step in helping school districts with budget problems caused by numerous unfunded mandates passed over the last two years.

Strengthening Public Safety

Every Minnesotan deserve to feel safe in their community. As part of our "Make Minnesota Safe" initiative, HF 340 strengthens penalties for criminals who flee from law enforcement in a culpably negligent manner, ensuring that reckless drivers who endanger lives face real consequences. The bill also:

• Creates new penalties for fleeing a peace officer while ignoring traffic laws.
• Expands law enforcement’s ability to use tracking devices to reduce the need for dangerous high-speed chases.
• Holds criminals accountable for reckless actions that put law-abiding citizens at risk.

This is just one of many public safety bills that my colleagues have introduced to help make Minnesota safe. Look for further updates soon as these bills progress to the House floor.

Looking Ahead

We will continue advocating for accountability in government spending, fair competition in sports, and policies that protect our communities. As always, I appreciate your input—please don’t hesitate to reach out with your thoughts or concerns.

Have a great weekend,

Patti

Please Contact Me

Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-3018 or by email at rep.patti.anderson@house.mn.gov.

Have a great weekend! 

Patti