Minnesota lawmakers manage to pass major bills just before end of legislative session

The 2026 Minnesota legislative session is over and finished on time — just barely.

All major bills passed, including a bailout for Hennepin County Medical Center, license tab reductions, a bonding bill and property tax relief.

The bigger bills did not come until the final hours before the deadline, but in the end, they all passed before midnight. The big bills had been negotiated by House and Senate Republican and DFL leaders and the governor beforehand, so you'd think these votes would come quickly and easily. They didn't.

Republicans say their biggest achievement is battling fraud.

"Our top priority, because of the level of fraud here in the state of Minnesota, was to pass that Office of Inspector General bill," House Speaker Lisa Demuth said. "That was our House File 1. That is something that we came into 2025 wanting to do."

For Democrats, the top priority was a hospital rescue package not only for HCMC but for other distressed hospitals, too. 

"We did great work for the people of Minnesota," DFL Minority Leader Zack Stephenson said. "We saved HCMC, delivering $705 million to ensure that that hospital is there."

Negotiated bills that ended up passing included:

• $205 million from state reserves for Hennepin County Medical Center and the creation of a $500 million reserve fund that can be used by other hospitals in crisis
• Rolling back license tab fees to 2022 levels
• A $1.2 billion infrastructure and bonding bill 
• A $125 million property tax refund bill that will go to some 600,000 homeowners who qualify for the homestead tax credit
• A $75 million upgrade for county computers. GOP Rep. Steven Jacob called it "about 20 years too late."

 Republicans also took credit for working on affordability. 

"Minnesota Senate Republicans worked very, very hard all through the session on affordability issues," Republican Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said. "We were finally able to get the tab fees reduced by $254 million. That's $254 million is going to be staying in Minnesotans' pockets."

One bill that did not get to the Minnesota House floor was the gun control bill that had passed the Minnesota Senate. Gun control advocates and Annunciation parents had been lobbying hard, and there had been protests to make sure that it would get on the House floor. But in the end, it did not.  

The entire House and Senate are up for reelection in November and both sides say voters will be able to weigh in then. 

DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy did not hold an overnight news conference. She held one Monday morning.