Minnesota legislature 2026: Property tax relief, fraud crackdown, HCMC funding approved

Minnesota legislative session recap

The 2026 legislative session has ended with Minnesota lawmakers passing major bills passed on fraud prevention, health care and infrastructure. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the details.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota lawmakers closed out their 2026 session with a flurry of last-minute votes, passing bills that will touch nearly every family in the state.

A productive session with bipartisan results

What we know:

House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson said, "We just had an incredibly productive session at a time when I think walking in, most people were not optimistic about that."

Senate votes followed, with leaders highlighting a focus on fighting fraud and improving government efficiency.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said, "We took a very muscular policy approach to fraud this session."

Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson added, "We passed the OIG bill. That was a very bipartisan bill."

Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth said, "We fought all session to get that done, and the governor has just signed that in the last week into law."

Rep. Harry Niska said, "We delivered major county IT modernization investments."

Gov. Tim Walz said, "It’s really important to me to hand off this thing in solid financial shape with the tools necessary to make sure that those program integrity is there."

Lawmakers also tackled health care funding, with Stephenson saying, "We saved HCMC by delivering $705 million to ensure that that hospital is there on Minnesotan's worst day."

Demuth added, "We secured $30 million in hospitals around the state, not for HCMC, but where they are also facing uncompensated care."

Infrastructure and relief for Minnesotans

Timeline:

The session ended with votes on infrastructure and tax relief.

Johnson said, "We are so excited to be investing in Minnesota infrastructure, roads and bridges and the communities, the drinking water, the wastewater, the things that Minnesotans need."

Murphy detailed, "$1.2 billion in job-creating funding projects across the state, an investment in work, an investment in communities, and an investment in our future."

Demuth said, "We were able to deliver $125 million in property tax relief, $250 million in car tab fee reductions."

Johnson highlighted, "That's $255 million that's going to be staying in Minnesotans' pockets when they come to renew their tab fees."

Murphy summed up, "If you reach a good conclusion for the people of Minnesota, we get an A. We should get an A for that."

The session also included bans on crypto kiosks and nudification technology, along with increases for meat raffles and other changes.

Big picture view:

The 2026 session saw bipartisan cooperation on fraud prevention, health care funding and infrastructure, with leaders from both parties celebrating wins for Minnesota families.

What's next:

Lawmakers plan to return in January with a new legislature and a new budget on the table.