People with disabilities in Minnesota deserve the right to access schools, workplaces, and publicly funded programs without facing discrimination. A bill that would protect those rights has already cleared the Minnesota Senate with a strong 46-18 vote. Now it needs to pass the House.

HF 2380 strengthens Minnesota's Human Rights Act by making one thing clear: any organization that receives state funding cannot turn away people with disabilities or deny them access to its programs and services. It also requires that reasonable accommodations be made so that people with disabilities can fully participate in public life. This isn't a new idea — it mirrors protections that already exist under federal law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). What this bill does is make those protections enforceable at the state level, so Minnesotans are protected even if federal safeguards are rolled back.

For many disabled Minnesotans, discrimination doesn't look like a door being slammed in their face. More often, according to the Minnesota Council on Disability, "it appears as barriers to access — when programs, services, or supports are not designed or implemented in ways that allow full participation." This bill addresses that reality by building access into any system that uses public money.

Senator Erin Maye Quade, who carried the bill in the Senate, called it "an honor" and thanked the advocates who have "pursued this legislation persistently." The Autism Society of Minnesota and the Minnesota Council on Disability both testified in support, and advocates across the state are calling on the House to act now.

We urge members of the Minnesota House of Representatives to take up and pass HF 2380 without delay. Minnesotans with disabilities — in schools, in workplaces, and in every corner of public life — are counting on you to vote yes.