Niska: House Republicans Deliver on Core Session Priorities

House passes bills on affordability, fraud, accountability and more

ST. PAUL – The 2026 legislative session finished Monday after a flurry of weekend activity where House Floor Leader Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, said House Republicans delivered major victories on affordability, fighting fraud, and increasing accountability in state programs.

Niska said House Republicans have focused heavily on combating fraud, providing property tax relief, improving school safety, cutting car tab fees, delivering relief for counties, and modernizing government systems. They passed bills addressing each of those priorities this session, including approximately $400 million in tax relief, with $125 million in property tax cuts and $250 million in car tab fee reductions approved over the weekend.

The House also approved federal tax conformity legislation that helps Minnesota businesses by extending the Pass-Through Entity tax provision, providing hundreds of millions of dollars in relief at no cost to the state. In addition, the House delayed PFAS reporting requirements for nine months through the end of the 2027 session, giving Minnesota businesses temporary relief from costly compliance mandates.

“House Republicans pushed relentlessly for policies that put more money back into the pockets of Minnesotans,” Niska said. “And we accomplished that by passing bills to provide car tab relief, property tax reductions, anti-fraud reforms, support for hospitals and relief for counties — to help all Minnesotans.”

A $1.2 billion infrastructure package also received approval, funding infrastructure projects throughout the state. This includes grant funding to prepare for a new Mississippi River Ramsey-Dayton bridge.

“Our local highways see heavy freight traffic are used as a travel corridor for people traveling to northern destinations,” Niska said. “We need a coordinated regional-level plan and long-term solutions and this funding will get us moving forward on that. This Ramsey-Dayton bridge is long overdue, and it’s good to see progress.”

On fraud, the House adopted Medicaid work requirements included in the federal One Big Beautiful Bill to create long-term savings, strengthen accountability, and help combat fraud, Niska said. He noted that the measure builds on the House’s recent passage of legislation creating a new Office of the Inspector General and implementing additional anti-fraud reforms aimed at protecting taxpayer dollars and restoring trust in government.

Relief for hospitals across Minnesota also came late in the session, with the House creating an uncompensated care fund and a new hospital stabilization fund to help facilities facing dire financial situations. The new fund is backfilled by expected cancellations of the Blue Line and Northern Lights Express rail projects.

Medical Assistance reimbursement rates also will increase for rural and critical access hospitals under legislation passed by the House in recent days. Niska said the change will help place those hospitals on more equal footing with Twin Cities facilities. Hennepin Healthcare will receive $200 million to avoid closure, though significant accountability and governance provisions were also included in the legislation approved by the House.

The House also passed major investments in technology updates for counties that Niska said is critical to protecting taxpayers, strengthening accountability and making sure benefits go to the Minnesotans who truly qualify instead of fraudsters.