Advocacy Highlights

A couple of special highlights for the week. The first come from our own work:

• • The headline of the week is the release of the Governor's 2026 supplemental budget. The request comes as a $3.7 billion projected surplus for FY 2026-27 sits alongside a structural imbalance in FY 2028-29. With just $377 million projected at the end of the next biennium, Capitol watchers will be focused on how much of the Governor's supplemental ask a narrowly divided legislature is willing to absorb. 
• Fraud continues to surface as well, with the Senate DFL unveiling their legislative package to combat it and the release of the OLA report on DHS Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) program. With campaign season on the horizon, don't expect this issue to lose any momentum at the Capitol.
• In Saint Paul, the City Council laid over their temporary 60-day pre-eviction notice period ordinance for one week to consider an amendment introduced by Council President Rebecca Noecker that would exempt the Saint Paul Public Housing Authority. The HRA is also eyeing a redistribution of Commercial Corridor funding that would cut $90,000 slated for Downtown. 

Second is excellent work done by the Minnesota Chamber: survey results on PFML’s impact on Minnesota’s businesses. Because making needed adjustments to the state’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave mandate is top of mind for the state’s business community. If you qualify as a “small employer” under the PFML program, you can apply for a grant to help cover costs when an employee has taken leave for expenses incurred after Jan 1, 2026. These grants help manage the cost of hiring temporary workers, increasing hours or wages or training staff while an employee is out on PFML. Learn More and Apply. 
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See you in the trenches,
B

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