CPAC Releases 2025 Minnesota State Rating

The latest edition of the Minnesota CPAC Scorecard assesses 17 votes in the State House and 13 votes in the State Senate from the 2024 session. Minnesota Republicans earned an average score of 77%, a decrease from their 2024 average score of 93%. Democrats earned an average score of 3%.

The 2025 Minnesota legislative session was defined by a clash between a reform-minded House willing to advance pro-life, pro-family, and fairness-focused measures and a Senate–Governor axis determined to grow government. Lawmakers delivered one major win for taxpayers and the rule of law with HF 1, repealing free state healthcare for illegal immigrants, but the Senate blocked key House victories like HF 12, HF 24, and HF 25 on women’s sports and protecting life. At the same time, Democrats pushed through massive omnibus packages, like HF 5, SF 3, SF 17, HF 2, and SF 3045, that expand bureaucracy, increase spending, centralize power in St. Paul, and burden taxpayers without serious accountability.

A Cascade of Wasteful Housing Mandates Becoming Law

Democrats advanced an expensive and intrusive housing agenda through bills like SF 2298, HF 2309, and HF 1471, many of which became law despite deep flaws. These measures expand bureaucratic control, impose new compliance burdens, and pour millions into programs that fail to address core housing problems such as zoning restrictions and construction costs. Rather than empowering private development or reducing regulatory barriers, the legislation grows state intervention and increases taxpayer exposure to ineffective programs. The cumulative effect is a larger, more centralized housing bureaucracy with little accountability. These laws will further distort the housing market, discourage private investment, and saddle property owners with additional requirements. Minnesotans struggling with affordability will see very little benefit from these expansions. The housing bills highlight a legislative session defined by misplaced priorities.

Runaway Spending Spree on School Bureaucracy and DEI Expansion

Several major spending bills—including HF 5, HF 2431 (House version), and its Senate counterpart—pushed massive increases in education appropriations while adding new mandates and ideological requirements. CPAC believes that education spending should go towards educating kids, not funding administrative bureaucracy. HF 5 became law, despite raising spending by billions without meaningful accountability or performance metrics. Meanwhile, HF 2431 failed in both chambers, sparing Minnesotans a $500 million DEI-heavy expansion in higher education bureaucracy. Together, these bills illustrate a consistent pattern: more regulation, more mandates, and more spending with little evidence of improved outcomes for students. The focus remained on growing administrative payrolls rather than empowering families or enhancing school choice. Minnesota’s education system will absorb even more taxpayer dollars while delivering no measurable gains. This session underscored how far policymakers have drifted from prioritizing students over systems.

Environmental and Climate Bureaucracies Grew While Conservation Was Neglected

Legislation like SF 3 and HF 2563, both signed into law, concentrated authority over Minnesota’s environment in large state agencies rather than local stewards or private conservation groups. Hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds were allocated to climate offices, activist programs, and regulatory expansion, doing little to protect land, water, or wildlife. Administrative costs continued to rise while oversight and audit requirements remained weak. These laws prioritize ideological climate agendas over practical conservation strategies that rely on partnerships, innovation, and local ownership. They also burden taxpayers with expanding bureaucracies that offer no clear performance metrics. Minnesota’s natural resources deserve targeted, effective management—not political symbolism. The passage of these bills marks a troubling shift away from stewardship and toward centralized control.

Taxpayers Protected When Key Big-Government

Bills Fail Not every attempt to expand state government succeeded, offering rare fiscal wins for Minnesotans. The House tied votes on HF 2431 (DEI expansion) and HF 2115 (human services bureaucracy), preventing both from advancing. The House also rejected the HF 2438 / Jones climate-transportation amendment, stopping new fees and climate-aligned transit spending. In the Senate, SF 1832, a bipartisan economic growth and workforce bill supported by CPAC, failed despite its promise to promote job creation. These outcomes reveal a growing unease—even among some Democrats—about unchecked government growth. The narrow margins reflect a politically divided state where taxpayers’ voices still influence key decisions. These failures serve as a reminder that persistent advocacy can restrain bad policy, even in challenging environments.

Read the full brief here.