BIA Advocacy Update

June 9, Minnesota Legislature Special Session 

Gov. Tim Walz called a special session for the state legislature to convene on Monday, June 9 with the purpose of passing 14 bills, many of which were budget bills. 

House Files: 

• Modifying MinnesotaCare for Undocumented Adults Bill
• Health and Human Services and Children and Families Policy and Appropriations Bill 
• Commerce and Consumer Protection Policy and Appropriations Bill 
• Human Services Appropriations Bill
• Education Policy and Appropriations Bill
• Transportation Finance and Policy Bill 
• Capitol Investment Bill
• Taxes and Local Aids Bill
• Data Center Bill 

Senate Files:

• Environment and Natural Resources Appropriations Bill 
• Jobs, Labor, Economic Development Policy and Appropriations Bill 
• Higher Education Policy and Finance Bill
• Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate Policy and Appropriations Bill
• Technical Revisor Corrections Bill

You can access additional information via the Minnesota Legislature website.

News from Minn. Dept. of Labor and Industry

June's Newsletter from MN DLI includes information on:

• Gov. signs bill on commercial scuba divers worker in MN lakes
• Webinar on Earned Sick and Safe Time
• Registered Apprenticeship Program steps
• OSHA summaries and more

Click here to read the newsletter. To receive updates from MN DLI that are better geared to your business and needs, we encourage you to view the list of their communications and subscribe to those that fit you best. Access that list here. 

BIA Leadership and Staff in Washington, D.C. this week

Along with other leaders from the North Dakota Association of Builders, they will be heading to D.C. for the National Association of Home Builders Spring Leadership and Legislative Conference. In addition to NAHB leadership meetings, they will be meeting with U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, as well as U.S. Rep. Julie Fedorchak. 

Top priorities include energy codes, workforce development and tax policy. All have direct impacts on housing, building and the work you do each day. While NAHB does a great job representing the industry on Capitol Hill, hearing directly from those in the field is the most powerful, your voice makes the biggest impact with our congressional delegation. You are the experts!

We are excited to share updates from the meetings in the next Breakdown.

City of Fargo wants your feedback on 2026 LDC

They city is hosting three workshops next week to gather input on the land development code and future growth. Options are on Tuesday, June 17 or Wednesday, June 18. For more details on time and location, head to https://www.fargoldc.org/. 

News from NAHB: Environmental Protection Agency Commits to Reducing Regulatory Burdens for Home Builders

Senior Officers from NAHB met with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in late May. In their discussions Zeldin reinforced his commitment to reducing federal regulatory burdens and improving the federal permitting process. 

As an example Zeldin pointed to his deregulatory announcement on March 12, 2025, identifying more than 30 federal environmental regulations finalized during the Biden administration that will be repealed or significantly revised. 

One of those regulations is the definition of the waters of the United States, WOTUS, under the Clean Water Act. This definition determines which waters are federally regulated, which includes wetlands by construction sites. 

NAHB participated in an EPA listening session to weigh in on proposed changes to that definition. Leaders expressed appreciation for the guidance and collaboration between guidance from the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, which aligns with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the Sackett case.

The guidance clarifies that for wetlands to be federally regulated, they must be directly connected to other regulated waters, not just nearby or through features like grass swales or manmade drainage ditches. This corrects what NAHB saw as overreach under previous interpretations and is seen as a win for commonsense regulation in home building.

To read the whole article and learn more, click here.