April 13, 2026 | Mark Luis Foster

In this morning’s Minneapolis Star Tribune, there was an article about SF1750, the “bi partisan” bill that seeks to put the brakes on HOA Leaders from running amok.  The article seems to imply that the bill is going to pass:

Spurred by residents’ stories of foreclosures and sky-high fines, a bipartisan group of legislators is nearing the finish line of a year’s long push to curtail the power of homeowners associations in Minnesota.

Despite the article’s optimistic tone, there’s much disagreement about the state of the bill, which has been slogging through the process in this year’s session. I testified in the House Judiciary Committee in late March promoting an “education, not legislation” agenda (they quote me in the article from that testimony). The author, Kristin Bahner of Maple Grove (DFL), can barely contain herself on the support she says the bill has:

“We have Republicans and Democrats standing shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm and saying it’s time that we do something to protect consumers,” Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL-Maple Grove, said in an interview.

My time at the Capitol this year also included visiting several legislators who were clearly against more legislation on HOAs and agreed to oppose SF1750. I’m not sure what shoulders she’s counting.  They’re also referring to this as an HOA Bill of Rights.

The “HOA Bill of Rights” still faces stiff opposition from some property management companies, HOA lawyers and residents who argue the legislation could drive up legal costs for the associations and, in turn, their members.

The media still has a tendency to report on the pickiest of residents’ complaints, rather than report on the big picture.  Like this paragraph from the story below:

But legislators appear motivated by stories told by people like Jolene Johnson, a homeowner in the Heritage Park neighborhood on Minneapolis’ North Side.  Members of an HOA there tried to dissolve it, saying it provided few services but issued fines for what they saw as small infractions like leaving garbage cans out too long. The association started foreclosure proceedings over unpaid fees under $500, Johnson told lawmakers.

Reminds me of the “$56 foreclosure narrative” that ran its course last year as a reason to clamp down on HOA boards, a completely warped and false story that only made HOAs seem like big, bad corporations out to gouge anyone who stands in their way.

They did quote me, as I mentioned earlier, based on comments I made during my testimony at the Judiciary Committee:

Some HOA advocates argued that such rules would make the jobs of volunteer board members more difficult. Legislators should focus on education, not regulation, Mark Luis Foster, co-owner of the HOA Leadership Network, told legislators last month. “If you’re looking to encourage future board leaders to join a board with enthusiasm, this is not the bill,” he said.

They also used a picture of the HOA rally that we held last year at the capitol. So at least we got our message out.

You can try to read the whole story here, but it’s likely behind a paywall for you if you don’t subscribe: STAR TRIBUNE