Legislative Update – March 19, 2025
Neighbors,
Yesterday, I spoke outside the State Capitol for National Ag Day. House Democrats are fighting for an Agriculture budget that focuses on providing locally grown food to feed our kids and families, supporting proven methods of sustainable agriculture, and addressing the chaos and uncertainty coming out of D.C. Then I was interviewed by the Red River Farm Network for their morning radio program, which you can find here.
I was also glad to take part in “Puppy Day” at the Capitol sponsored by the Animal Humane Society! You can support the Humane Society and find your own puppy to adopt here.
Agriculture Committee
Today is the first day I will be chairing the House Agriculture Committee now that we are back to a 67-67 tied legislature and tied committees. House DFLers are using this time to fight for our values, and we’re hearing bills to fund local food-purchasing assistance programs that help our kids and families, protecting our water and public health from fertilizer runoff, and more.
The committee will be streamed live at 1:00 p.m. here, and will later be posted on the Minnesota House Public Information YouTube page here.
On Monday, the committee heard a Republican bill that would give farmers (including the bill author), a $5 property tax credit per acre, allegedly to promote water quality. So I asked staff from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture whether there is any evidence in any state that this bill would improve water quality. His answer was one word: No.
As a soil scientist, I know the importance of supporting conservation methods that have been proven to work—and that’s what I’ll be doing as co-chair. Watch the exchange here.
Other Updates
Tomorrow, March 20th at 6:00 p.m., Attorney General Keith Ellison will be hosting a forum on federal overreach with four fellow state AGs. From funding cuts to firings to attacks on labor, public schools, and more, they are here to hear how this all is affecting you. RSVP here for location 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