Dear neighbors, After several months of hard work, legislators are releasing omnibus bills, packages of legislation that outline our plan for a specific area of the budget. Over the next few days, we’ll discuss all of these proposals in detail and gather input from Minnesotans. Protecting Our Environment and Natural Resources As chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee, I’m proud of the omnibus bill House DFLers developed this year. Our bill contains $275 million worth of investments that will help protect and enhance our environment and natural resources. It includes funding and policies to: - Provide stronger protections for residents of areas that have been exposed to a disproportionate amount of pollution
- Improve water quality and water management
- Help communities replace ash trees that are susceptible to emerald ash borer infestations
- Expand the popular Lawns to Legumes program that helps Minnesotans establish pollinator habitats
- Clean up contaminated sites throughout Minnesota
- Ban the use of PFAS in carpet and textiles, cookware, cosmetics, children’s products, and ski wax
- Protect wild deer from chronic wasting disease
- Create opportunities for all Minnesotans to enjoy the outdoors
- Help communities prepare for impacts of climate change
- Protect Minnesota’s wildlife and their habitats
If you’d like to learn more about our proposal, you can watch a video of the public hearing we held this afternoon. We went through each section of the bill and discussed some of the provisions in detail. Preventing Trespassing and Property Damage Along Snowmobile Trails Many of Minnesota’s snowmobile trails are located on private land. When snowmobilers go off these trails, they may damage private property and discourage people from volunteering their land in the future. This could reduce the number of snowmobile trails in Minnesota and negatively impact tourism and the economy. To help preserve our state’s snowmobile trails, I introduced legislation that would increase civil penalties for trespassing while driving a snowmobile or off-highway vehicle. The bill received bipartisan support when the House passed it in March, and the Senate advanced it yesterday with a vote of 115 to 19. It’s on its way to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Upcoming Events in Our CommunityRiver Clean-up The City of South St. Paul and Boy Scout Troop 9095 are hosting a river clean-up this Saturday, April 9. All community members are invited to attend. Registration will begin at 9:45 a.m. at the Spiral Bridge, located at Grand and Hardman. Gloves and bags will be provided.  Stay in TouchMany thanks to everyone who joined Sen. Bigham, Sen. Klein, and me on Sunday! I appreciated the questions and feedback you shared with us.  If you weren’t able to attend the town hall, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments you may have. You can reach me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn or give me a call at (651) 296-6828. Sincerely, Rick Hansen
State Representative |