Dear Neighbor,
After a drought caused havoc in our area last summer, our area has been experiencing heavy rains this week and there are reports of tornado damage taking place last night in the Lowry area, on the northern edge of our district. Starbuck has been without power and it is unclear when it may be restored. This is a serious situation that we will continue investigating and monitoring.
The 5-plus inches of rain that has fallen in our area since Sunday is more than we had much of all last summer. This is going to present a setback for planting season by having to wait a week or so to get back in the fields.
In other news, the House recently approved, with strong, bipartisan support, legislation that supports our veterans. The veterans and military affairs package (S.F. 4233) appropriates an additional $2.2 million to the Department of Military Affairs and an additional $52.351 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The bill includes more than $10 million for construction cost increases for the three new veterans homes in Bemidji, Montevideo, and Preston, and more than $16 million for enhancements and furnishings to these facilities.
Veterans and Gold Star families who served post-9/11 will receive a total of $24.8 million post-service bonus payments. The bill also includes funding to address veteran homelessness, money for the State Veterans Cemetery in Redwood Falls, and other veterans related programs.
The bill passed the House 122-1 and cleared the Senate with no opposition before being presented to the governor for enactment. It was encouraging to see legislators come together in such a unified fashion to support our veterans. I am glad we were able to get this bill through so we can continue to keep working toward opening these three new veterans’ homes in parts of the state where those services are lacking.
We are now entering the final full week of the 2022 session with this year's major omnibus bills in the process of negotiations as subjects of conference committees. Another bill that would provide drought relief in response to last summer's dry conditions also is unresolved and remains in the hands of a conference committee to which I have been appointed. A provision the House majority added to the bill providing $13 million in DNR tree funding remains the largest obstacle to passing the bill and, disappointingly, there has been no movement to report on that issue for a month.
Watch for more as we make our way to the conclusion of this session and, as always, please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Paul