Minnesota State Representative Peggy Bennett announced on Apr. 23 that the House Taxes Committee heard a joint request from the City of Albert Lea and the Shell Rock River Watershed District to allow voters to decide on renewing an existing 0.5% local sales tax. The proceeds from this tax would be used for further water improvement and regional projects in the area.
Bennett said Albert Lea City Manager Ian Riggs and Shell Rock River Watershed District manager Andy Henschel visited the Capitol to explain their proposal. She explained that implementing a local option sales tax requires both legislative authority and approval by local voters, stating, “If legislative consent is given, it will be up to local voters in November to ultimately approve or not approve the additional sales tax and projects.” According to Bennett, Albert Lea first approved this type of sales tax in 2005 for water projects such as dredging Fountain Lake, with another voter approval occurring in 2026.
In addition to the sales tax issue, Bennett reported that her anti-grooming legislation (HF3489) is scheduled for debate by the full Minnesota House after passing through committee review. She described her bill as strengthening protections against sexual grooming in schools by clarifying field trip supervision rules, improving mandatory reporting requirements and training for mandated reporters related to grooming behavior, and creating a new felony penalty for grooming offenses involving children or youth.
Bennett also addressed her efforts regarding health education standards in Minnesota schools. She discussed bringing forward HF3550, which would give school districts more control over choosing between state-developed or locally developed health standards instead of being required to adopt statewide mandates beginning with the 2026-27 school year. She raised concerns about sensitive topics included under Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE), such as gender identity and sex education content taught at early grade levels.
Although Bennett’s bill did not advance out of committee due to a tie vote, she expressed hope that lawmakers will revisit this issue next year so parents and communities can have greater input on educational standards: “Parents, communities, and local school boards deserve to be the decision makers for health standards in their schools – not state bureaucrats sitting at a desk in St. Paul.”
