Dear neighbors,
I kicked off National Pollinator Week yesterday with a tour of the University of Minnesota Bee Lab! I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the amazing and important research that’s being done there.
National Pollinator Week is a celebration of the vital services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and beetles that was established 12 years ago by the U.S. Senate. It’s a great time to get out there and do something good for pollinators, such as planting pollinator-friendly plants, creating pollinator habitat, or raising awareness of declining pollinator populations. More information on National Pollinator Week is available at www.pollinator.org/pollinator-week.
LCCMR Public Hearing
Today I chaired a public hearing of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), a bipartisan group of lawmakers and citizens that provides funding recommendations to the legislature. LCCMR recommendations help legislators decide how to use resources from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. This fund helps preserve, restore, and enhance Minnesota’s environment and natural resources with revenue from the state lottery.
Last month, the legislature approved a plan to spend $64 million from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund in 2019. The LCCMR is now working on a plan for 2020. We spent most of the day listening to presentations from individuals and groups who have applied for support. You can view an agenda and additional meeting materials here or listen to audio here. Information on each of the proposals is available here.
Reminder: Upcoming Town Hall
I hope you’ll join me in Mendota Heights a week from today! Rep. Ruth Richardson, Sen. Matt Klein, Rep. Frank Hornstein, and I will talk about the legislative session, answer questions from community members, and discuss what’s next.
It was brought to my attention that three of the links in my last legislative update didn’t work for some people. Here are the correct links for each resource:
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative