Reduce the human and economic impacts of harsh winters through energy support, home upgrades, and emergency

preparedness.

 

The purpose of this bill is to reduce the human and economic harm caused by Minnesota’s increasingly severe winters by

strengthening the state’s energy security, protecting vulnerable residents, and improving the safety and efficiency of

homes, roads, and public infrastructure. This bill expands heating assistance to prevent winter energy shutoffs, funds

large-scale weatherization upgrades for aging homes, and improves statewide snow and ice management to reduce accidents

and emergency costs. It establishes county-based warm centers to protect at-risk Minnesotans during extreme cold events

and provides incentives for efficient heating systems that lower long-term energy costs. Together, these measures ensure

that Minnesota families, workers, and communities remain safe, warm, and resilient throughout the winter season while

reducing the financial strain that extreme cold places on households and local governments.

 

Minnesota is a state defined by its winters. From the snowfall that blankets our towns, to the cold air that sharpens

our breath. Winter is part of who we are. But in recent years, our winters have changed. They have become longer,

colder, more unpredictable, and more dangerous. And for many Minnesotans, what used to be a season of challenge has

become a season of survival.

Every year, thousands of families across our state must make impossible choices. Heat or groceries, heat or medication,

heat or rent. Too many children try to sleep through the night in homes where the temperature has fallen below safe

levels. Too many seniors, veterans, and disabled Minnesotans risk frostbite or hypothermia in the very place meant to

keep them safe, their own homes. Too many parents worry how they will keep their families warm when the next cold wave

hits.

And Minnesota winters do not discriminate by geography. Farmers in rural counties face fuel shortages that threaten

their livelihoods. Urban residents struggle with skyrocketing energy bills in drafty apartments. Small businesses lose

revenue when roads freeze over or power grids strain. Emergency rooms fill with people suffering winter-related

injuries, illnesses, or complications from cold-induced stress.

We are a state built on community, on watching out for one another when the snow is deep and the nights are long. Yet

every winter, we watch neighbors slip through the cracks simply because their homes lose heat too quickly, their energy

bills spike too sharply, or their communities lack the resources to respond to severe cold. This is not the Minnesota we

believe in.

The Minnesota Winter Resilience and Energy Relief Act is rooted in a simple promise: No one in our state should suffer

or lose their life because of the cold. No child should shiver through the night. No senior should be forced to choose

between heating and medicine. No worker should risk injury because of outdated infrastructure. No family should fear the

next blizzard more than they fear the month’s bills.

This Act invests directly in the people who make Minnesota strong. It improves our homes so they hold warmth more

efficiently. It modernizes roads, public buildings, and energy systems to withstand harsher winters. It creates a safety

net that prevents energy shutoffs. It builds warm centers in every county so no one is left out in the cold. It invests

in our future by supporting innovations that make living in Minnesota safer, more affordable, and more equitable.

This is not charity, it is responsibility. It is stewardship. It is an affirmation of our shared values.

Extreme winters are not going away.

But with this bill, neither are we. We will stand with every Minnesotan, from Iron Range miners to Minneapolis renters,

from farmers to teachers, from elders to newborns, and ensure that winter is something we endure together, not something

that divides or endangers us.

This bill is necessary because Minnesota is stronger when every one of us is safe, warm, and able to thrive, even in the

coldest days of the year. That is not only good policy; it is the Minnesota way.

 

1. “Extreme winter conditions”

Periods of severe cold, snowfall, or ice accumulation that create unsafe living, travel, or working conditions, as

determined by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

2. “Low- and moderate-income households”

Households earning up to 80% of the Minnesota State Median Income (SMI), adjusted for household size.

3. “Weatherization”

Energy-efficiency upgrades to residential buildings, including insulation, air sealing, window and door improvements,

HVAC improvements, and related retrofits that reduce heat loss and improve safety in cold-stricken areas.

4. “High-efficiency heating systems”

Heat pumps, high-efficiency natural gas furnaces, electric resistance systems, geothermal units, or other systems

meeting or exceeding Minnesota Department of Commerce energy-efficiency standards.

5. “Winter storm management infrastructure”

Equipment, facilities, and operational systems used for snow removal, ice control, sand/salt storage, plowing, and

emergency road operations by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and local governments.

6. “Warm centers”

Publicly accessible, county-operated facilities open during declared extreme winter conditions that provide safe, heated

shelter, basic medical support, and emergency resources for residents.

7. “State energy surcharge”

A small, legislatively approved add-on fee applied to utility providers and large industrial energy users for the

purpose of funding the programs established by this Act. This surcharge shall not exceed statutory caps set by the

Legislature.

8. “State winter infrastructure bonds”

Revenue bonds issued by the State of Minnesota for the construction, upgrading, or expansion of weatherization capacity,

warm centers, and winter operations infrastructure, repaid through dedicated revenue streams established in this Act.

9. “Budget reallocation”

The transfer of existing appropriations within the Minnesota state budget from lower-priority or underutilized programs

to winter resilience initiatives, as authorized by the Legislature.

10. “Severe cold medical risk”

Any medical condition—such as respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, or mobility impairment—that increases an

individual’s vulnerability to hypothermia or extreme cold, as defined by the Minnesota Department of Health.

 

This bill will be funded by the creation of the Winter Resilience Fund. This is established within the state treasury as

a dedicated, nonlapsing account to support heating assistance, weatherization upgrades, infrastructure improvements, and

emergency winter safety programs authorized under this Act. The following processes will be used to allocate resources

directly into the fund:

(a) All investor-owned utilities operating within Minnesota shall contribute 0.75% of annual gross retail revenues to

the Winter Resilience Fund. Contributions shall be remitted quarterly and treated as a regulatory assessment under the

jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Commission.

(b) A state energy surcharge is imposed as follows: $0.01 per therm of natural gas sold for residential and commercial

use, and $0.005 per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated from nonrenewable sources. All revenues from this surcharge

shall be deposited directly into the Winter Resilience Fund.

(c) The Commissioner of Management and Budget is authorized to issue up to $300 million in state infrastructure bonds

over a 10-year period to support large-scale weatherization, district heating expansion, and cold-resilient

infrastructure upgrades. Bond repayments shall be made using revenue collected under subsection (b).

 

1. Utilities receiving state funds or participating in the winter surcharge system must agree to the following: apply

the surcharge exactly as authorized, report collected funds accurately, and follow legally required winter shutoff

protections.

Misconduct can and will result in the following penalties: a civil fine for noncompliance (e.g., $1,000–$10,000 per

violation depending on severity), mandatory correction within a defined timeframe, and suspension from program

participation for repeated violations.

Why this matters: it prevents utilities from misreporting, overcharging, or ignoring winter shutoff rules.

2. Since weatherization uses public funds, certified contractors must meet state standards, only use approved materials,

complete required inspections, and avoid fraudulent overbilling.

Contractors who break this agreement will receive fines for fraudulent billing or unsafe work, loss of state

certification, requirement to repay misused funds, and in extreme cases, referral for investigation under existing state

fraud statutes.

Why this matters: it ensures funds aren’t wasted and residents get safe, effective upgrades.

3. Counties receiving resilience grants must keep warm centers open during declared extreme cold, report usage data, and

maintain basic safety and staffing standards.

Miscondict can result in deduction or temporary suspension of funding if a county repeatedly fails to open centers or

misuses grant money, and corrective action plan instead of punishment for first-time issues.

Why this matters: this ensures counties actually use the funds to protect people when temperatures plummet.

 

November 1st, 2026