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HF 3085

Community Mediation Minnesota grant funding provided to administer a statewide family mediation pilot program, and money appropriated.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Esther Agbaje and 3 co-sponsors

The bill would fund and establish a statewide family mediation pilot administered by CM Minnesota to provide voluntary, non-adversarial dispute resolution for family issues across

Author added Agbaje
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Bill Summary · HF 3085

Bill Summary: HF 3085 (Minnesota, 2025-2026)

Purpose and intent

HF 3085 proposes awarding Community Mediation Minnesota (CM Minnesota) grant funding to administer a statewide family mediation pilot program. The bill aims to expand access to mediation services within families by supporting a formal statewide pilot, funded through appropriations to CM Minnesota. The underlying goal is to provide structured, voluntary, non-adversarial dispute resolution for family-related issues as an alternative or complement to court processes.

Key provisions and changes

  • Grants to CM Minnesota: The bill would authorize state grant funding to Community Mediation Minnesota specifically to oversee a statewide family mediation pilot program.
  • Program administration: CM Minnesota would administer the pilot, including design, implementation, and coordination of mediation services across participating jurisdictions within the state.
  • Family mediation scope: The pilot would likely cover disputes common to family matters (e.g., parenting time, custody, visitation, child support, dissolution-related issues) and provide a structured process for mediation between family members or relevant parties.
  • Performance and accountability: As with typical grant programs, the bill would generally include reporting requirements, program evaluation metrics, and compliance standards to ensure proper use of funds and measurable outcomes (though exact metrics are not specified in the provided text).
  • Funding specifics: The bill designates appropriations to CM Minnesota for the administration of the pilot. The precise dollar amount, duration, and disbursement schedule are not stated in the summary provided.

Affected entities and beneficiaries

  • Primary recipient: Community Mediation Minnesota (CM Minnesota), acting as the administrator for the statewide family mediation pilot.
  • Participants in the pilot: Minnesota residents involved in eligible family disputes who choose mediation as a resolution option, potentially including parents, guardians, and other family members.
  • Judicial and county partners: Courts and local government entities may coordinate with the pilot to refer cases, support access to mediation, or align with family services.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Legislative path:
    • Introduced and referred to the Committee on Children and Families Finance and Policy (April 3, 2025).
    • Subsequent actions include committee discussions and potential amendments.
    • The bill’s action history shows additional sponsorship updates in 2025-2026, indicating ongoing legislative consideration.
  • Sponsorship:
    • Primary sponsor: Hanson (J.).
    • Co-sponsors: Jess Hanson, Mohamud Noor, Matt Norris, and Esther Agbaje.
    • Notation of authorship additions on Feb 17 and Feb 25, 2026, suggesting accelerated attention or coalition-building.

Notes and considerations

  • The summary does not specify the exact funding amount, the pilot’s duration, participating jurisdictions, or detailed program design elements (e.g., qualifications of mediators, fee structures, confidentiality safeguards, or evaluation criteria). Those details would be clarified through amendments, fiscal notes, and subsequent committee hearings.
  • As with many mediation pilot bills, key questions will include how the program interacts with the court system, whether participation is voluntary or court-referred, cost to participants, and measures of success (e.g., rates of agreement, reductions in court filings, time-to-resolution).

If you’d like, I can add a section on potential implementation considerations or draft a table of proposed metrics to evaluate the pilot’s effectiveness.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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