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Dear neighbors,
Last night the 2023 Legislative Session ended and we successfully passed the final versions of our budget bills and other priorities. Alongside our DFL Senators, we are ending the gridlock and delivering on the promises we made to Minnesotans.
You can read more about our final bills using our nonpartisan Session Daily stories: Veterans and Military Affairs,?Housing,?Higher Education,?Legacy,?Agriculture,?Early Education,?Public Safety and Judiciary,?K-12 Education,?Jobs and Labor,?Environment and Energy,?Commerce,?State Government and Elections,?Human Services,?Taxes,?Transportation,?Health,?Capital Investment,?Cannabis, and?Paid Family and Medical Leave.
Last night we passed two Capital Investment bills that will build infrastructure, support local projects and create jobs in our district and around the state! As a member of the Capital Investment Committee, I was glad to see it contained many projects for our area, including:
- $72 million to support Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) including the G Line which will serve the communities of South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, and West St. Paul.
- $25 million for the City of St. Paul to improve the 3rd Street Bridge and $7,000 for the City of St. Paul Park for the 3rd Street Collector Railway.
- $2 million for the City of Inver Grove Heights for the Heritage Village Park
- $12 million for Inflow and Infiltration. This is additional funds on top of the funds secured for the City of Newport in the Environment Budget Bill!
- $8.4 million for Community Tree Planting grants to restore trees devastated by Emerald Ash Borer.
This year?s environment and natural resources bill finally broke through the gridlock and the regulatory capture that has blocked progress towards protecting our air, water, soil and wildlife. The provisions in this bill have been vetted for years and will right past wrongs, address current threats, and lay a foundation for the future. The members of our conference committee joined Speaker Hortman while she signed our bill and sent it to the Governor!
Here are a couple more highlights from the Environment and Climate Budget Bill:
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Pollinator Protection Account: The legislature increased funding for the pollinator protection account and expanded eligible uses of money in the pollinator research account to include additional purposes such as researching the effects of seed treatments on pollinators.
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PFAS in pesticides: The legislature prohibited MDA, beginning January 1, 2026, from registering a pesticide cleaning product that contains intentionally added PFAS unless MDA determines that the PFAS use is unavoidable. We also prohibited MDA, beginning January 1, 2032, from registering any pesticide that contains intentionally added PFAS unless MDA determines that the PFAS use is unavoidable.
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Turtle Protection Provisions: The turtle seller?s license fees and turtle seller?s apprentice license fees are eliminated and the DNR is prohibited from renewing or transferring turtle seller?s licenses. A recreational turtle license will be required to take turtles, and a person will be prohibited from selling turtles taken from the wild. The use of traps and commercial equipment when taking turtles is also prohibited.
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Chronic Wasting Disease Provisions: Requires the owner of farmed cervids to immediately notify the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of an escape if the animal is not returned/captured within 24 hours, requires fencing for farmed Cervidae to prevent physical contact between farmed Cervidae and free-roaming Cervidae, prohibits new white-tailed deer farm registrations effective the day following final enactment, prohibits the movement of farmed white-tailed deer from a herd that tests positive for CWD to another location, and more.
Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the legislative session. You can reach me by email at?[email protected]?or by phone at 651-296-6828. You can contact my Legislative Assistant Sam O'Neill at 651-296-3305 or via email at?[email protected].?
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative
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