Dear Neighbor, There is a lot of ground to cover in the House once again this week, starting with the House Agriculture and Finance Committee on Wednesday approving an omnibus finance bill which provides a $17 million increase for its section of the state budget. The $169 million package for the next two-year cycle is 10 percent more than the current 2024-25 budget. It also is an increase over the $151 million Gov. Tim Walz proposes for 2026-27. As chair of the ag. committee, I am pleased this bill funds some important, time-sensitive issues. We’re moving this bill through the committee in timely fashion to quickly address urgent issues such as livestock situations and emergency preparedness. I also am pleased with how this bill supports all kinds of farms, large and small, organic and conventional, rural and urban. The committee moved the bill to the House Ways and Means Committee, the last stop before it is available for a vote of the full House. In other news: Bill to aid grain elevators The full House this week overwhelmingly approved a bill I authored to help small-town elevators manage their auditing requirements. The bill (H.F. 1063) provides common-sense flexibility while following national or international accounting standards when preparing annual financial statements. The bill also passed the Senate and now is in the hands of Gov. Tim Walz for his anticipated enactment. Click here for an article on this bill. Bill to aid farms A bill I authored to exempt employees who work on family farms with either five or fewer employees, or who work 28 days or less per year, from participating in the state’s costly sick time program received a committee hearing this week. The bill (H.F. 1057) is another proposal to provide common-sense flexibility to help farmers manage their business in this tough economy. The bill was thoroughly debated and remains viable for passage this year. Whistleblower bill passes This week, the House passed a good bill (H.F. 23) to expand whistleblower protections for state employees who report government fraud and misuse of state or federal funds. It guarantees that public employees can expose wrongdoing without fear of retaliation, reinforcing transparency and accountability in state government. The bill passed unanimously (133-0) and now heads to the Senate, where it has already received bipartisan support ahead of a vote. Bills supporting women and children defeated House Republicans brought to the floor Thursday a pair of bills to support women and children: - The Supporting Women Act (HF 25) restores a grant established in 2005 called Positive Alternatives, which Democrats took away in 2023. The bill appropriates $8 million per two years to women’s pregnancy centers and maternity homes.
- The Born Alive Rollback (HF 24) extends legal protections to infants who are born alive after an abortion procedure. This bill would require that doctors protect the lives of infants under these adverse circumstances in the same way that they protect infants born under normal conditions.
It is too bad House Democrats voted down both of these bills. Watch for more from the Capitol soon. Until next time, please stay in touch and let me know how I can help. Sincerely, Paul |