Last week marked the first and second committee deadlines at the Minnesota Legislature, with committees working to advance bills before March 27. To advance, bills needed to clear a committee in their house of origin, and companion bills had to clear all relevant committees in the other chamber. It was a busy week as committees worked to move legislation across the finish line before the deadline.
The Legislature is now in Easter/Passover break, with legislative activity resuming on Tuesday, April 7.
Committee Updates:
House and Senate Education Policy Committees
On the Senate side, the Senate Education Policy Committee debated and approved its Omnibus Education Policy bill. Though shorter than previous omnibus bills, it includes a few key provisions of interest to MASE including:
-
Allows K3 disciplinary dismissals for up to one day if certain conditions are met
-
Requires school district crisis policies to address the needs of students with disabilities in crisis situations
-
Updates to the Read Act would include extending instructional hour flexibility one additional year, allowing a parent to opt their student out of the literacy screener if the parent and teacher decide that continuing to screen would not be beneficial to the student, clarifying screening requirement for students in grades 4 through 12, and allowing a district to use discretion when determining when to screen an English learner for dyslexia after the student has been screened for dyslexia
-
Requires school districts to provide supportive interventions for both students who experience bullying and students who engage in bullying behavior
-
Joins Minnesota in the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact to streamline licensure for teachers already licensed in other member states
-
Expands Tier 2 teacher eligibility to include enrollment in teacher preparation programs in a bordering state, state-approved programs not offered in Minnesota, or state-approved programs in a shortage area, provided equivalent student teaching requirements are met
-
Aligns current law for meeting highly qualified requirements for Title 1 professionals with those of special education professionals.
-
Requires teacher preparation programs focused on early literacy to include a supervised field experience aligned with evidence-based reading practices consistent with the Read Act
On the House side, the House Education Policy Committee did not advance an Omnibus Education Policy Bill due to the challenges posed by the chamber's tied makeup. With neither party holding a majority, reaching agreement on any bill proved difficult, leading the committee to advance only two standalone bills to the House floor. The first bill, HF3421, requiring teacher preparation programs that prepare candidates to provide instruction in early literacy to provide candidates with a supervised early literacy field experience aligned to evidence-based best practices in reading consistent with the Read Act. The second bill, HF3067, aligns qualification standards for paraprofessionals working in Title 1 programs with those of paraprofessionals working in special education programs.
Important Dates
March 27-April 6, 2026: Easter/Passover Break
April 17, 2026: Third Committee Deadline
May 18, 2026: Adjournment of Legislative Session
Helpful Links
For updates on activities at the House of Representatives, visit the House Session Daily website.
For updates on activities at the Senate, visit Senate Media Services.
To follow committee hearings, visit the Combined Committee Schedule.
To watch House committee and floor sessions, visit the House of Representatives YouTube Channel.
To watch Senate committee and floor sessions, visit the Senate YouTube Channel.
Current list of Legislative Retirements
