Dear neighbors,
In this week’s legislative update, I’m going to walk you through what I did yesterday. I hope this gives you a sense of what I’m working on and what a day at the State Capitol looks like for me and other legislators.
Selecting Topics for the OLA to Review
I started my workday at 8 a.m. with a Legislative Audit Commission meeting. As vice chair of this bipartisan group of legislators, I help select topics for the Office of the Legislative Auditor to review. We chose five topics yesterday, including:
- Grants for nonprofit organizations
- Programs that support Minnesotans who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color
- RentHelpMN and the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program
- The Southwest Light Rail Transit project
- Sustainable building guidelines
Background information about each topic is available here.
Protecting Minnesotans and Our Environment from Hazardous Pesticides
I serve on four legislative committees – the Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee, the Capital Investment Committee, the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee, and Ways and Means – that all hold a few public hearings every week. The Agriculture Committee meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, so I attended that hearing yesterday afternoon.
In addition to hearing and voting on two bills, I shared legislation I authored with the committee. The bill I presented would regulate the sale, use, and disposal of seed treated with neonicotinoids, a pesticide that can damage human health and our environment. Neonicotinoids are particularly hazardous to bees, and many of them have been banned in Europe.
To protect Minnesotans, pollinators, and our environment, my bill prohibits using or selling seed treated with neonicotinoids to produce food, feed, oil, or ethanol. It directs the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to develop guidance on the proper use and disposal of pesticide-treated seed and requires anyone who sells the seed to post this guidance. My bill also takes steps to prevent contamination, like prohibiting the burial of neonicotinoid-treated seed near drinking water sources. You can read more about it here.
Advocating for Minnesota Workers
I spent most of the afternoon on the House floor. Legislators passed three bills to help Minnesota workers stay safe, healthy, and economically secure, starting with legislation that ratifies certain labor agreements and compensation plans for state employees.
One in nine workers at Amazon warehouses in Minnesota is injured on the job. That’s twice the injury rate of non-Amazon warehouses in the state. Injuries are common at Amazon warehouses because of practices they use to push workers to their limits, such as requiring them to meet quotas that aren’t disclosed to them. The second bill we passed yesterday would improve safety for warehouse workers and make sure the harmful practices Amazon uses don’t spread to other warehouses and industries. A fact sheet about this bill is available here, and you can read more here.
At around 7:00 p.m., we passed our final bill of the day, legislation that would extend Earned Sick and Safe Time to all Minnesota workers. Under this legislation, workers would earn at least one hour of paid Earned Sick and Safe Time for every 30 hours they work, up to at least 48 hours per year. Workers could use this time to stay home when they’re sick, go to the doctor, or care for a family member.
Stay in Touch
If you have any questions or feedback, please contact me or attend the town hall that I’m hosting with Sen. Karla Bigham and Sen. Matt Klein this weekend.
I always appreciate hearing from you! You can reach me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn or call (651) 296-6828.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative