The first few weeks of session have been very busy! I have been introducing dozens of bills, which you can find here. We also resumed committee hearings for the Higher Education committee. To sign up for updates about Higher Education, you can subscribe here.
I will be holding office hours from 8am to 9:30am on March 1st at Pow Wow Grounds, 1414 East Franklin Avenue. Stop by to say hello and grab some coffee!
Continuing our work on Renter Protections This week the Housing committee heard several bills to protect and expand the rights of tenants in Minnesota, including my bill SF 3571, which will establish new remedies for renters when buildings are not completed by the scheduled move in date – as happened to tenants of the Identity Dinkytown apartment complex last year. Other bills included strengthened protections for survivors of domestic violence, requirements that landlords test for radon, and new disclosures for renters with service or support animals. These new protections build on the work done to establish new important tenants' rights last session, including: A 14-day written eviction notice. Expansions to emergency repair requests. Required notice for landlord entry. Reforms to eviction expungement practices and other legal protections. New move-in and move-out inspections. Updated minimum heat requirements for winter.
Still waiting for a 2023 tax rebate? Watch your mail! The Department of Revenue began reissuing 128,000 expired one-time rebate checks this week that have gone unclaimed since they were originally issued last fall. If you believe you were eligible for a one-time tax rebate but still have not received a check, watch your mail! These checks will be mailed with a State of Minnesota return address and should arrive by mid-March. If you still have not received a by May 1, 2024, contact the department at 651-556-3000. More information on the rebate program can be found here.
Omar Fateh
Minnesota Senate, District 62