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SF 996

Entities or organizations that receive state funding prohibition from making campaign expenditures or otherwise expending money for any political purpose

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Cal Bahr and 4 co-sponsors

SF 996 would bar any state-funded entities from spending funds on political activities or campaigns.

Referred to Elections
#elections #government-state
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Bill Summary · SF 996

Summary of SF 996 (Minnesota)

Overview

SF 996 seeks to prohibit entities or organizations that receive state funding from making campaign expenditures or spending money for any political purpose. The bill is categorized under Elections and Government-State and is currently in the Senate’s Elections committee workflow.

  • Introduced: February 6, 2025
  • Status: Referred to Elections
  • Companion: HF 72 (House of Representatives)

Purpose and intent

  • The primary aim is to reduce potential political influence by ensuring that recipients of state funds do not use those funds to engage in campaign-related activities or other political expenditures.
  • By tying political spending to the eligibility or use of state funding, the bill intends to create a financial separation between public funding and political advocacy or campaign activity by funded entities.

Key provisions (as suggested by the bill’s title)

Note: The exact text of provisions (definitions, scope, and enforcement) is not provided here. The summary reflects the bill’s stated objective.

  • Prohibition on campaign expenditures: Entities or organizations that receive state funding would be barred from making expenditures that are intended to influence elections or candidates.
  • Prohibition on political spending: The prohibition would extend to spending money for any political purpose, beyond explicit campaign expenditures, as defined by the bill.
  • Scope of “state funding”: The bill would apply to entities that receive money from the state, potentially including grants, contracts, subsidies, reimbursements, or other forms of funding.
  • Compliance framework: The bill would establish requirements for recipients to comply with these prohibitions (details such as reporting, audits, or remedies would be specified in the full text).

Who is affected

  • Primary audience: Organizations and entities that receive state funding from Minnesota.
  • Potential categories include, but are not limited to, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, public or private partners receiving state grants, contractors, and other beneficiaries of state allocations.
  • It is anticipated that both direct and indirect recipients of state funds could be covered, depending on the bill’s definitions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Introduction and first reading occurred on February 6, 2025.
  • Referred to the Senate Elections committee for consideration.
  • House companion: HF 72, indicating parallel consideration in the House chamber.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Policy impact: The bill would limit political activity by entities-funded with state dollars, potentially reducing the political footprint of state-funded organizations.
  • Compliance costs: Recipients may need to establish internal policies, monitoring, and reporting to ensure adherence.
  • Constitutional considerations: As with any restrictions on political spending, questions could arise regarding free speech and association; such issues would be addressed in the bill’s text and any ensuing legal challenges.
  • Fiscal impact: Potential changes in how funding is allocated or monitored, with possible administrative costs for the state to enforce compliance.

Next steps

  • See ongoing committee proceedings in the Senate Elections committee for hearings, amendments, and votes.
  • Monitor the House companion (HF 72) for parallel movement and potential differences between the two chambers.

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

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