Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL)

Back to profile

Legislative Update – January 15, 2025

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Legislative Update – January 15, 2025

Dear neighbors,

As always, I am focused on the work ahead for our district. No matter what partisan noise you might hear, I am committed to working in our district, for our district.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, whether it’s defending our environment from attempts to erode protections, standing up for working families and unions, or ensuring our district is not left behind in funding requests and bonding proposals, my focus at this time is on the needs of our community. I’ve been working to draft legislation that addresses many of these issues, and I look forward to pushing them forward once the legislative session officially begins.

Hansen Legislative Work

In 2023 I pushed for legislation addressing the odor violations from the Sanimax facility in our district, and the impact of that work is now coming to fruition.

On January 30, from 6:30-8:00 pm at South St. Paul City Hall, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will hold a public meeting on the Sanimax draft air permit, which will go into public notice soon. Staff will provide an overview and answer any questions. You can find more information on the MPCA website here. I hope you can come and make your voice heard.

 

Local Meetings

It’s important to me that the needs of our district are addressed at the State Capitol. That’s why at the start of every session I make time to meet with the people on the ground who know our district best.

I toured South St. Paul Secondary with our Sen. Matt Klein, attended the Association of Metropolitan Schools 2025 Legislative Session Preview, and participated in the League of Women Voters for Cottage Grove and Woodbury’s 2025 Legislative Preview which you can watch here. I was glad to stop by Grey Cloud Island’s public meeting on the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the mining proposal there and hear the views and concerns of those in our community.

Hansen Community Visits
 

Committee Work

I’m also continuing to work on legislation on key issue areas for this upcoming session, including protecting our environment from pollution, tackling challenges caused by Big Ag on our soil and water, and ensuring that our state runs effectively and efficiently.

I participated in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Roundtable and attended the presentation of the Governor’s Broadband Task Force’s 2024 findings, which you can read here.

Hansen Committee Work
 

Other Updates

Last week, the MPCA took action on an air permit violation from KODA Energy in Scott County, finding the company burned waste-treated seed. I’ve been working on the issue of waste-treated seed in the past, and I will continue working to ensure companies can’t illegally pollute our air with toxins.

This week the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) began accepting proposals for projects that protect and preserve Minnesota’s natural heritage. $103 million is available from the lottery fund, and applications are due on March 19. Learn more and apply here.

Also released this week is the report on Chronic Wasting Disease Spillover Preparedness and Response from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). You can read the report and find the FAQ’s here.

 

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 call my office at 651-296-6828. You can follow my official State Representative Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/MNRepRickHansen/.

Sincerely,

Rick Hansen State Representative