Legislative Update - March 11, 2022

Dear neighbors,  

The Minnesota House passed a bill to help communities recover from the historic drought we experienced last year. I authored a portion of the bill that contains grant funding to:  

• Replace seedlings on DNR-managed lands that were killed by the drought.  
• Mitigate the costs of removing shade trees that were impacted by the drought and replacing them with new trees.  
• Help municipal, township, and tribal governments that operate public water supplies conserve water.  

Protecting our natural resources is a critical part of mitigating climate change. Since Minnesota’s forests and farmlands help reduce carbon emissions, we’ll lose one of our most effective tools in the fight against climate change if we don’t replace trees and seedlings that were killed during the drought. The bill we passed yesterday will help Minnesota continue fighting climate change and ensure communities are better prepared for future droughts and other severe weather.  

The bill also provides grants, loans, and other direct relief for livestock farmers and specialty crop producers. This assistance will be targeted to small farmers that can’t access federal crop insurance. Both sections of the bill include measures to ensure the grant process is equitable and accessible. 

Renaming the South St. Paul Post Office 

As you may have read in my previous emails, I’m carrying a bill that asks Congress to rename the South St. Paul Post Office in memory of Officer Leo Pavlak. Officer Pavlak was killed outside the post office on August 30, 1933 during a payroll robbery.

I recently received a letter from Officer Pavlak’s grandchildren, who called the plan to name the post office after him “a true and fitting memorial.” It’s an honor to have their support.  

Addressing Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

While the state legislature doesn’t have jurisdiction over foreign policy, we’re doing what we can to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their country and democracy from an unlawful Russian invasion. A bipartisan group of legislators came together yesterday to introduce legislation to divest from state pension fund investments in Russia. The bill also codifies an Executive Order Governor Walz issued earlier this week to bar state agencies from contracting with Russian entities.  

Please contact me if you have any 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