Legislative Update – March 14, 2025

Legislative Update – March 14, 2025

Neighbors,

On Thursday, I was glad to welcome Pastor Patrick Joiner from Luther Memorial Church in South St. Paul to give the opening prayer in the House Chamber. The House’s Chaplain for the Day program allows leaders from all districts and faiths to come before the legislature and give an opening prayer. If you’re interested in participating in this program, please contact my office.

I also participated in the Land Stewardship Project’s annual Farm Breakfast and Lobby Day, meeting with volunteers, advocates, and constituents all dedicated to building a more sustainable Ag system that focuses on small farms, local farmers, and greener practices. This year, DFLers are focusing on ensuring we’re supporting the farmers who feed people and supporting hunger-relief efforts, which I will touch more on later on in this newsletter.

Standing up for our Values

Yesterday on the House Floor, I spoke against a bill authored by my Republican colleague that would fundamentally change how lottery funds from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund are used after voters overwhelmingly renewed the fund last November. This attempt to circumvent the Legislative-Citizen Council on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) is in lockstep with federal Republicans’ strategy of breaking agency norms and sowing distrust in government. Watch my comments here.

Agriculture Budget Update

DFLers are committed to building an Agriculture budget that centers hunger relief, supports local food producers, and ultimately helps people throughout this state. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Republicans are interested in working towards that goal.

In my last newsletter, I expressed my extreme disappointment in House Republicans’ decision to move forward with a partisan, unpassable agriculture bill. On Wednesday, they passed the bill out of committee even though starting next Monday, the House will revert to a tie and committees will be co-chaired and need bipartisan support for any legislation to pass.

The House Republican’s Ag bill won’t become law, but it does illustrate their misplaced spending priorities, unwillingness to work together, and willful disregard for the impacts of the Trump administration’s cuts to USDA. You can read my full press release here.

Other Updates

Finally, I want to highlight a recent study from the CDC on chronic wasting disease. The study was coauthored by professors from the University of Minnesota, who have been fantastic partners with the legislature in understanding more about CWD and how we can fight it. This study shows that venison processors may be at risk of exposure to CWD prions, but also has information on effective decontamination steps that can be put into practice. Read the report here.

Stay in Touch!

Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the year. You can reach me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-6828.

For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these regular legislative updates if you haven’t already, here, and you can also “like” and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.

Sincerely,

Rick Hansen
State Representative