Sen. Hauschild reflects on wins, lessons, and what was left undecided in the 2026 Legislative Session

Kirsten Wisniewski | May 25, 2026

The 2026 Legislative session concluded on May 18. District 3 State Senator Grant Hauschild told WTIP that, overall, he is happy about the outcome, and that many of his legislative priorities were addressed this session. As the session ended, some key issues, namely gun control and federal powers, however, remained undecided.

Legislative wins

Hauschild, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), is the Vice-Chair of the Senate Tax Committee. He pushed for two tax-related items this year. A change to where the property tax revenue from seasonal recreational properties is directed will now return money to local school districts, instead of being kept in the state’s general fund. Hauschild also advocated for property tax relief to the tune of $100 million state-wide.

The effort to provide property tax relief was inspired by the rising cost of living, with many families feeling the stress of increased prices on gas and consumer goods. Hauschild said, “We really were looking at how can we provide relief for Minnesotans in the things that we can control, and of course taxes is one of them.”

In addition to work on taxes, another legislative priority for Hauschild this year was securing state funding for several infrastructure projects within the district. In Cook County, the legislature opted to allocate funds to both a Highway Department project to resurface the last 10 miles of the Gunflint Trail, and a major water treatment center project from the City of Grand Marais.

Hauschild also pointed to the successful creation of an Office of Inspector General as part of the state’s efforts to combat fraud. In 2025 a bill to create the office advanced out of the Senate, but failed to pass in the House. Making decisions about the role was a priority for many legislators going into the 2026 session.

What didn’t pass

“The honest truth is I feel like I really got like the key and core issues that I was really hoping to get across the finish line,” Hauschild said. He added, however, that he had hoped to see a legislative response to Operation Metro Surge, which he described as federal overreach in the state “that took innocent lives and really disrupted families and people, mostly in the metro, but certainly in greater Minnesota as well.”

“We passed a package in the State Senate that really looked at protecting Minnesotans, having identifying factors for law enforcement at the federal level, protecting schools, churches, public spaces from that overreach by the federal government.” In the House, however, he said, “they just would not go along with that.”

Another bill to pass the Senate but not the House was legislation about gun control. The Senate bill would place limits on the purchase of some specified firearms, though Hauschild said it would not have impacted current legal gun owners. After passage in the Senate, DFL members in the House called for its introduction for debate. Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican, refused to bring it to the floor for discussion.

As the question of gun control remains unsettled at the end of this session, Hauschild said he anticipates it will be a discussion point during this year’s elections. “This is a debate that will happen during the election, and I think it’ll be up to Minnesotans to decide, do we want to do what we can to end the violence that we’ve seen, or do we want to turn a blind eye? And I think Minnesotans understand that we have to do something.”

A legislature divided

The past two years included slim margins between the parties, with the DFL holding the majority in the Senate by a single vote, and a tie between the parties in the House. While the election later this year is likely to shift the balance in each chamber, Hauschild said the split was a good lesson for legislators. “I think the last two years have shown us that when all sides are at the table, good negotiations can happen. You don’t get everything you want, but you do have to sort of settle in a middle ground that advances all the voices of Minnesota,” he said.

Though there was negotiation over the past two years, Hauschild acknowledged that the session was not without snags. When asked about the House Republican leadership’s refusal to introduce the Senate gun control bill, he said, “wWhen you let partisanship get in the way of dialogue, when you let partisanship stop discussions from even happening, from allowing transparency in our government, for allowing transparency in the legislative process, I think that is when Minnesotans get upset.”

Mining near the Boundary Waters

Hauschild has been an open critic of the federal action that rescinded a mining ban in an area of the Rainy River Watershed in Superior National Forest. Opponents of the measure voiced concern that mining in the area could damage the Boundary Waters Canoe Area ecosystem, which is part of the watershed. Though the bill was introduced by Northland U.S. Representative Pete Stauber, Hauschild has maintained that decisions regarding where mining is allowed should come from the state.

Though the ban was successfully rescinded by the U.S. Congress, and there is a proposed copper-nickel mine from Twin Metals, Hauschild said that the state does have power to ensure that the environment is protected. He said that federal regulations on mining waste and environmental standards have been gutted under President Donald Trump, so it will fall to the state to evaluate mining projects. “We’ll see what the Trump administration continues to do, and in response, you know, we’ll, as state legislators and as a government here in Minnesota, decide what’s best for us.”

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with District 3 State Senator Grant Hauschild. Audio of that interview is below.