Dear neighbors, I’ve had the opportunity to present a few of my bills to House committees this week. Keep reading for more information about these bills and their progress! Advocating for South St. Paul Schools In Minnesota, communities that have more residential property than commercial property have a harder time raising money for local schools. Taxpayers in these communities must pay two to three times more than people in communities with more commercial property in order to reach the same level of funding. The state provides equalization aid, but it’s often not enough to make up the difference. This puts some school districts at a disadvantage and forces them to rely on referendums. If they can’t make up the difference through taxes, it could reduce the quality of education. South St. Paul Public Schools is one of the Minnesota school districts that’s negatively impacted due to a lack of commercial property. I’m carrying legislation to level the playing field. By increasing equalization aid for the district, my bill would help lower taxes and ensure South St. Paul students receive the same high-quality education as children in other school districts.  Superintendent Dave Webb and some South St. Paul students testified in favor of this bill when the House Education Finance Committee heard it yesterday. If you’d like to learn more about the bill, you can watch the hearing here or check out the handout provided by South St. Paul Public Schools. Investing in Drought Relief The drought we experienced last year has created environmental challenges across Minnesota. The House Ways and Means Committee recently approved legislation I introduced to help communities recover from the drought. It provides $23.85 million for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and municipal, township, and tribal governments, including: - $5.5 million to replace seedlings that were killed by the drought
- $4.5 million to remove and replace shade trees impacted by the drought
- $3 million to help governments that operate public water supplies increase efficiency
My bill was combined with HF 3420, a bill authored by Rep. Mike Sundin that provides $10 million to help livestock farmers and specialty crop producers harmed by the drought. I look forward to hearing this legislation on the House floor! Strengthening Our Agricultural Industry Minnesota’s agricultural industry is facing several threats, including climate change and potential impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These threats underscore the need to make our agricultural industry more adaptable and resilient. That’s why I’m carrying a bill to jumpstart research on crops that used to be common in Minnesota but have become increasingly rare over the past decade. HF 3618, which I presented to the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee on Wednesday, contains $2.5 million to help the University of Minnesota study and maintain the genetic diversity of oilseeds, grains, grasses, and other plants that were commercially distributed and grown in Minnesota prior to 1970. It also includes funding for outreach to small farmers and BIPOC farmers.  New OLA Report ReleasedThe Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) released a report on the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) this morning. They recommended assigning OSA sole responsibility for issuing state licenses to archaeologists and improving its communication with archaeologists and oversight of fieldwork. You can read the full report here. Feel free to contact me if you have questions, ideas, or feedback you’d like to share. You can reach me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn or call (651) 296-6828. Sincerely, Rick Hansen
State Representative |