Legislative Update – June 25, 2024
Dear Neighbors,
Last week I was glad to attend a Juneteenth Celebration at Clark-Grace United Church of Christ in South St. Paul. There was a great community turnout for this important event. You can read more about the history of Juneteenth here.
Also coming up in our community is Kaposia Days in South St. Paul, which will be held June 28th-30th. From great food and music to parades and outdoor events, it’s a great event for our district and I hope you’ll be able to make it. You can find more information here: https://kaposiadays.org/site/.
Flood and Disaster Relief
As I’m sure you’ve seen on the news, our stretch of consistent heavy rainfall has led to flooding in areas across our state. Governor Walz and Senators Klobuchar and Smith have been traveling the state to meet with local officials, finding out more about how the state and federal government can work together to provide relief. Flooding has even reached as far south as Harmony when I was out there over the weekend.
You can find information on flooding, road closures, and more from local government pages, including the City of South St. Paul Page, Dakota County Page as well as MPR and the National Weather Service.
On the state legislative level, we have a Disaster Contingency Account that can be used to respond to disasters, but further action may be needed. Last year we also passed nearly $250 million for the DNR to make flood hazard mitigation improvements to state parks and passed funding through the Board of Soil Resources for local flood hazard mitigation grants. As this situation develops, I and other legislators will be communicating with state, local, and federal partners to ensure we respond effectively to these floods.
LCCMR Update
As co-chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), we have begun meeting to hear presentations on projects seeking 2025 funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).
You can watch a video recording of our June 20th meeting here and find more information on the LCCMR and project proposals at https://www.lccmr.mn.gov/.
Stay in Touch!
Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the year. You can reach me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-6828. You can contact my Legislative Assistant Sam O'Neill at 651-296-3305 or via email at Samuel.ONeill@house.mn.gov.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative