Legislative Advocacy

Hello,

It’s that time of year again. Thank you for your on-going interest in the bills OOLTC is watching at the state Capitol.

Where we are in the 2026 legislative session

  • Session began on Tuesday, February 17th, 2026. Committee hearings are well underway and many bills have already been heard in the House and Senate.
  • 1st and 2nd deadlines are on Friday, March 27th. All bills that move forward (except those that need funding) will need to be heard and voted for by an appropriate committee in the House and Senate by that date. Committee hearings happen 2 or 3 times per week, so even though session just started, there isn’t a lot of time for bills to get heard.

Bills we’re watching

  • OOLTC continues to support resident rights and protections with the Consumer Advocates Coalition: AARP MN, Alzheimer’s Association of MN/ND, Minnesota Elder Justice Center, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, OOLTC, and the Office of Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.
  • Our Coalition has two bills we’re pushing this year:
    • HF2771/SF 2972: This bill provides some guardrails around how for-profit entities that purchase non-profit nursing homes and assisted living facilities spend money they receive from taxpayers and residents’ lifetime savings. The bill aims to ensure that money is spent on care and, importantly, adequate staffing.
    • Thank you to Representative Reyer and Senator Dibble for authoring this bill!
    • HF2771 was supposed to get heard in the House Health Finance & Policy Committee on Monday, March 2nd, but the committee ran out of time.
    • HF3622/SF 3844: This bill requires nursing homes and assisted living facilities to have AEDs in their buildings, train staff to use AEDs and provide CPR. It prevents those facilities from requiring guardianship or conservatorship as a prerequisite for admission or continued stay. It also requires assisted living facilities to provide their most recent survey from the Minnesota Department of Health and any complaint investigation results, correction orders, and fines issued in the last 2 years to any prospective residents, and directs assisted living facilities to maintain a log of how long it took to answer call lights or pendants for 5 years.
    • Thank you to Representative Moller and Senator Mann for authoring this bill!
    • Hearings for both Senate bills occurred on March 4th as well. SF 2972 will be heard in the Senate Judiciary committee next, and SF 3844 has been laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill. Senate Human Services Committee Video

Getting in touch with your elected officials

  • Legislators don’t necessarily know what it’s like to live in or to have a family member live in a long-term care setting. They need to hear your story to understand what the issues are and what to do about them. Telling your story to your legislators is essential for passing bills that support residents. (HF3622/SF3844 came directly from constituents reaching out to their elected officials!)
  • Use your address to find your elected officials.
  • Phone calls, letters, emails, and visits are great ways to tell your story and build your relationship with your elected officials. If you’d like support with contacting your elected officials, contact Parichay Rudina at Parichay.rudina@state.mn.us or 651-485-3858.

Published: March 19, 2026

Stay Connected - Take Action!

We encourage readers to check this page regularly for updates and stay connected this legislative session. You can also find your house representatives and state legislators, how to contact them, bills they’ve introduced, and committees they serve on.