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Bill Summary · SF 5167

Summary of SF 5167 (2025-2026) – Prohibition repeal on conversion therapy with minors and vulnerable adults

Note: This summary provides an objective overview of the bill’s text, purpose, provisions, and potential impact based on the introduced language.

Purpose and intent

  • The bill seeks to repeal Minnesota’s existing prohibition on conversion therapy for minors and vulnerable adults.
  • It would remove statutory language that currently bars mental health practitioners from providing conversion therapy to individuals under 18 or to vulnerable adults, and eliminate the repealed statute (214.078).

Key provisions and changes

Section 1: Amendment to MA eligibility and definition of conversion therapy

  • Amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 256B.0625, subdivision 5n, to specify:

    • Medical assistance (MA) does not cover conversion therapy as defined in section 214.078, subdivision 1.
    • The included definition of “conversion therapy” aligns with practices by mental health practitioners or professionals seeking to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions to the same gender.
    • Notably, the amendment distinguishes between:
    • Prohibited goals: changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
    • Permissible counseling or treatments: activities that support gender transition, or that provide acceptance, support, understanding, and coping/identity exploration, including sexual-orientation-neutral interventions to prevent/address unlawful or unsafe conduct, provided the counseling does not seek to change orientation or identity.

  • Importantly, the subsection as drafted continues to allow counseling or treatment that supports an individual undergoing gender transition and general supportive, non-coercive identity exploration, as long as the main aim is not to change sexual orientation or gender identity.

Section 2: Repealer

  • Repeals Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 214.078 (Protection from Conversion Therapy).
  • This repeals the existing prohibition on conversion therapy with minors and vulnerable adults, effectively ending the ban that previously prohibited such practices by mental health professionals.

Who would be affected

  • Mental health practitioners and mental health professionals practicing in Minnesota.
  • Clients, including:
    • Minors under 18.
    • Vulnerable adults (as defined by Minnesota law).
  • The MA program (Medicaid/Medical Assistance) policies would be affected insofar as MA would no longer cover conversion therapy, per the amended language in section 256B.0625, subdivision 5n.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Status: Introduced in the Senate (SF 5167), 94th Legislature.
  • Referral: Referred to Health and Human Services on April 16, 2026.
  • The bill would become law only if enacted by the Legislature and signed into law; upon enactment, it would repeal 214.078 and modify MA coverage to exclude conversion therapy as defined.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Legal/ethical: The repeal of the prohibition would permit conversion therapy under Minnesota law, subject to the definitions and constraints in the bill. This would mark a shift from a prohibition to a regulatory framework that permits such practices (subject to licensing and professional conduct standards by boards).
  • Public policy and consumer protection: The bill’s text defines “conversion therapy” and preserves certain non-coercive counseling aspects (e.g., support for gender transition, acceptance, and identity exploration) while prohibiting efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity in the explicit sense of the practice.
  • Financial: MA would no longer cover conversion therapy services, potentially shifting costs to clients or other payer sources.
  • Protections: The ongoing framework for professional discipline remains relevant through licensing boards, with potential disciplinary action for attempting conversion therapy on minors or vulnerable adults under current/no prohibition contexts, but the repeal changes enforceability from a prohibition to a capability, not an affirmative mandate to provide such therapy.

If you’d like, I can provide a plain-language side-by-side comparison of current law versus the bill’s changes, or draft a one-page briefing for stakeholders.

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

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