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HF 3180

Essential public health functions contingency account established, report required, money transferred to essential public health functions contingency account, commissioner of health funding provided, and money appropriated.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Robert Bierman and 12 co-sponsors

Creates a dedicated fund to quickly backstop essential public health functions if federal support drops, with oversight and annual reporting.

Author added Lee, X.
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Bill Summary · HF 3180

Summary of HF 3180 (Minnesota) — 2025-2026 Session

Purpose and Intent

HF 3180 establishes an Essential Public Health Functions Contingency Account within the state treasury to provide a funding backstop for essential public health functions (EPHF) in response to unexpected reductions or eliminations of federal funding. The bill defines what constitutes essential public health functions, creates the contingency account, outlines criteria and procedures for using the funds, requires reporting, and authorizes a one-time general fund transfer to seed the account.

Key Provisions

1) Definition of Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF)

  • EPHF includes activities to prevent or control health threats, such as:
    • Investigating diseases and identifying outbreak sources
    • Conducting laboratory testing
    • Alerting the public and health systems about health threats
    • Developing guidelines and activities to prevent disease spread
  • Includes prevention of and response to waterborne disease outbreaks, with support for public water supplies to stop such outbreaks.

2) Creation of the Contingency Account

  • An Essential Public Health Functions Contingency Account is created in the state’s special revenue fund.
  • Money in the account does not cancel and is appropriated to the Commissioner of Health for specified purposes when certain conditions are met.

3) Determination Criteria for Accessing Funds (Subd. 3)

  • The Commissioner may expend from the account only if:
    • On or after March 1, 2025, there is an unexpected, significant reduction or elimination of federal funding for one or more EPHF performed by the Commissioner or funded with federal funds distributed by the Commissioner; and
    • Additional funding is necessary to continue those EPHF.

4) Authorized Uses of Funds (Subd. 4)

  • Expenditures from the contingency account are limited to the EPHF that experienced reduced or eliminated federal funding.

5) Notice and Expenditure Review (Subd. 5)

  • Before any expenditure, the Commissioner must:
    • Provide written notice to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services finance and policy.
    • Seek review and recommendation from the Legislative Advisory Commission per the procedure used for federal funds (with any applicable exceptions noted).

6) Reporting Requirements (Subd. 6)

  • If the Commissioner makes expenditures from the account, an annual report is due by January 15 of the year following the year in which expenditures were made.
  • The report must cover:
    • The amount of federal funding reduced or eliminated for EPHF
    • The amount and purpose of each expenditure from the contingency account
    • Any additional information necessary to document expenditures
  • The report is exempt from certain public disclosure or administrative requirements (as specified).

7) Onetime General Fund Transfer (Section 2)

  • The Commissioner of Management and Budget must transfer a specified amount from the General Fund to the EPHF Contingency Account in fiscal year 2026 as a one-time transfer.
  • The exact dollar amount is indicated as a placeholder (shown as "$.......") in the bill text, to be determined.

Who is Affected

  • Minnesota Department of Health (Commissioner of Health) gains a new funding mechanism to maintain essential public health functions in the face of federal funding shortfalls.
  • Legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services finance and policy receive procedural oversight requirements (notice and advisory review).
  • The General Fund and state treasury are involved due to the one-time transfer to seed the contingency account.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Earliest trigger date for eligibility: March 1, 2025.
  • Expenditures require:
    • Demonstrated federal funding disruption to EPHF, and
    • Legislative oversight via notice and Legislative Advisory Commission review.
  • Annual reporting obligation begins after the year in which expenditures occurred and is due by January 15 of the following year.
  • A one-time General Fund transfer to fund the account is authorized for fiscal year 2026 (amount to be determined).

Potential Impact

  • Provides a dedicated, rapid-access funding mechanism to preserve critical public health capabilities when federal support wanes.
  • Improves resilience of Minnesota’s public health system by safeguarding functions such as disease surveillance, laboratory testing, outbreak response, and waterborne disease control.
  • Introduces enhanced fiscal planning and transparency through required notices, reviews, and annual reporting of contingency expenditures.

Note: The bill is in the early stages of consideration and includes placeholder language for the exact transfer amount, which would be resolved during legislative proceedings.

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

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