Dear neighbors, Yesterday, I welcomed my colleagues on the House Capital Investment Committee to South St. Paul. We had the opportunity to learn about a proposal to modernize the John Carroll Building, which would preserve much-needed affordable housing for our area. We also visited a site along the Minnesota River Greenway where improvements for cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists are being proposed.     This was the final day of a statewide bonding tour that took legislators to every region beginning earlier this fall. We’ll use this experience to craft a robust, comprehensive capital investment bill for the 2022 session. With the federal infrastructure bill signed into law and interest rates at historic lows, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to clear Minnesota’s backlog of deferred maintenance on state and community assets. Also worth highlighting is news from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency about the creation of the state’s first PFAs monitoring plan. The draft plan is a critical step in better understanding how “Forever Chemicals” are getting into our environment, and how we can reduce their impact together. Click here for coverage from KARE11 and click here to fill out a public comment form with the MPCA. As the seasons transition, this is a friendly reminder that the Minnesota State Forest Nursery is interested in buying cones from certain trees, with several fast approaching deadlines: - Black spruce - accepted through February 2022.
- Jack pine - accepted through November 2021, provided the cones have not opened.
- Red pine (also called Norway pine) - accepted through November 2021, provided the cones have not opened.
More information is available here. Also right around the corner is South St. Paul’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, which takes place next Sunday, November 28th. Festivities are set to begin at 5:30pm at the Central Square Community Center. Stop by with your family to enjoy complimentary hot cocoa, carols, and a visit from Santa.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or feedback. You can email me at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn or call (651) 296-6828. Sincerely, Rick Hansen
State Representative |