October 19–25, 2026
A quiet week for new laws touching Dakota County directly, with one federal measure now law that affects clergy workers, and a Sacramento land sale wrapping up in Washington.
A quiet week at all three levels of government that shape life in Dakota County. Nothing passed that reshapes your commute, your utility bill, or your property taxes. But there is one item worth knowing about, and one coming up to keep an eye on.
For clergy and religious workers. A federal law (HR 227) now gives ordained ministers, nuns, and Christian Science practitioners a two-year window to rejoin the Social Security and Medicare systems after previously opting out on religious grounds. That opt-out used to be permanent. Now it isn't. If you or someone in your household took that exemption and has since changed their mind, this is the opening to reverse it. Workers who re-enroll will pay self-employment tax on their ministerial income going forward and become eligible for retirement and Medicare benefits. This is now law.
The other two federal bills signed this week have no practical effect on Dakota County residents. One directs the Bureau of Land Management to sell a federal claim on roughly eight acres in Sacramento (HR 952). The other (HR 7022) passed both chambers and allows wireless carriers to route emergency alerts through satellite networks in addition to cell towers. That satellite alert bill is now law and could eventually matter in low-coverage rural corners of the county, but whether and when your carrier opts in is not yet known.
Coming up next week:
San Francisco Bay restoration funding. HR 1382 raises the federal share of Bay cleanup project costs and opens federal funding to private businesses and nonprofits, not just government agencies. It cleared committee and a full House floor vote is next, though no firm floor date is set yet. The bill's scope is specific to the San Francisco Bay watershed and does not affect Dakota County water or land programs.
See what's up for a vote now · Find your representatives