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Dear neighbors,
As we enter the last phase of session, we are negotiating budget bills with the Senate and the Governor in conference committees for final passage.
As co-chair of the Agriculture Committee, my focus will be on fighting for an Ag budget that centers people. Today, we had our first conference committee meeting on the Agriculture budget bill, walking through the differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill.
Whether it's helping those facing food insecurity, getting healthy local foods to our kids in schools, protecting workers from avian flu, or supporting small farmers buying their first farm, we want a budget that improves Minnesotans’ lives.
This year, Republicans used their time on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee to hear legislation that would roll back the hard-fought progress we made in 2023 and 2024 to protect our environment. DFLers united to block those provisions from moving forward this year.
This week, we passed an Environment Budget that maintains our protection of Minnesotans’ land, water, and air from threats like PFAS, nitrates, and aquatic invasive species. While the bill didn’t make the new investments that I would have liked, it is a big win for Minnesotans that we stopped the worst of the GOP’s priorities from becoming reality.
This weekend is the Minnesota fishing opener, and I wish you all the best of luck out on the water! I spoke to MPR News about the push to ban lead tackle, which can harm fish and travel up the food chain to other wildlife.
As the author of legislation that would ban lead tackle in swan breeding areas, I believe we must do more to protect our wildlife. While that bill hasn’t made progress due to cost concerns from other legislators, I think eventually change will come as we see younger people and new anglers join the sport.
 You can also read my response in this Minnesota Reformer article about the industry push for so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It’s clear this isn’t about sustainability, it’s about corn. Proponents of increasing tax credits for SAF are greenwashing a system with serious environmental and community impacts.
I believe that we should be prioritizing tax breaks for people, like renters and first-time homebuyers, not corporations producing sustainable aviation fuel that isn’t actually sustainable. I’ve introduced legislation to do just that, which you can find here.
Saturday, May 17, from 8am-4pm is the South St. Paul Garden Club Plant Sale, located at 1900 Burma Lane. Proceeds will be used to send kindergartners to Doge Nature Center, support Neighbors Inc., and go to other community projects. You can find more information here.
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.
For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these regular legislative updates if you haven’t already, here, and you can also “like” and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative
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