Dear neighbors,
I had a great time at Kaposia Days this weekend! I appreciated the opportunity to meet and reconnect with folks from our community.
I particularly enjoyed calling Bingo for a few hours on Sunday. Proceeds from this activity will be used to support the work of South St. Paul Pastors in Action, including their MLK Scholarship. Thank you to everyone who attended and the volunteers who make Kaposia Days possible!
New Laws Take Effect on July 1
Several laws will take effect on Friday, including a package of legislation that I authored to protect our environment. It will fund many important projects, including efforts to:
- Establish a task force to help clean up Pig’s Eye landfill, a contaminated site that may pollute the Mississippi River and nearby communities, including our own
- Protect our groundwater by replacing failing septic systems
- Provide incentives to Minnesotans who enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program
- Rehabilitate and enhance state parks, trails, and recreation areas
- Protect and restore land, water, and habitat throughout the state
- Support environmental research and efforts to gather important data and information
- Help Minnesota better manage invasive plants, pathogens, and pests
- Support environmental education
Other new laws will:
- Provide funding for ALS research and support families who are caring for an individual with ALS
- Establish a new office to improve the health, safety, and welfare of Minnesotans in foster care
- Strengthen the state’s Fraud Bureau and give it the authority to investigate more financial crimes, including wage theft
- Limit the use of screens in preschool and kindergarten classrooms
You can find a list of all the laws that will take effect on July 1 and more information about each of them here.
Reminder: Frontline Workers Can Apply for Bonus Pay
Bonus payments are available for frontline workers who kept our state running during the darkest days of the pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans who faced elevated risks of exposure to COVID-19 are eligible, including health care workers, first responders, child care providers, food service workers, and retail workers. You can view eligibility information and apply for bonus pay at frontlinepay.mn.gov/submit. Applications will be accepted until Friday, July 22.
If you have any questions or feedback for me, please feel free to email me at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn or call (651) 296-6828. I always appreciate hearing from constituents!
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative