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*February 12, 2024*






Legislative Update

Dear friends and neighbors,

Greetings from St. Paul!? The legislature formally began at noon today and we are now off and running for the next few months through May 20th.? This will be a short timeline to fix issues with legislation rushed through in the 2023 session such as flawed School Resource Officer language and a $350 million tax bill error. ?A capital bonding bill will be on the table again this session to provide major funding for local infrastructure needs across the state. The 2024 legislature will also address some new and very concerning bills in the weeks ahead:

*DNR Policy Proposals*

Last session there was an effort to change current policy regarding Elk Management Plan population goals.? The proposed change would repeal the current statutory language connecting the size of Minnesota?s elk herd to elk damage payments, thereby giving the DNR greater ability to manage and potentially increase Minnesota?s elk herd.? Any increase in elk population goals requires strong public support and working with agricultural producers to prevent or limit damage caused by elk. The proposed change would involve deleting sections (b) and (c)?see below.? I will be opposing any effort to remove this language from statute.

Current statute can be found here:

[link removed]

*97B.516 PLAN FOR ELK MANAGEMENT.*

(a) The commissioner of natural resources must adopt an elk management plan that:

(1) recognizes the value and uniqueness of elk;

(2) provides for integrated management of an elk population in harmony with the environment; and

(3) affords optimum recreational opportunities.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), the commissioner must not manage an elk herd in Kittson, Roseau, Marshall, or Beltrami Counties in a manner that would increase the size of the herd, including adoption or implementation of an elk management plan designed to increase an elk herd, unless the commissioner of agriculture verifies that crop and fence damages paid under section?3.7371 [ [link removed] ]?and attributed to the herd have not increased for at least two years.

(c) At least 60 days prior to implementing a plan to increase an elk herd, the commissioners of natural resources and agriculture must hold a joint public meeting in the county where the elk herd to be increased is located. At the meeting, the commissioners must present evidence that crop and fence damages have not increased in the prior two years and must detail the practices that will be used to reduce elk conflicts with area landowners.

*Wolf Management Legislation*

This past legislative session I chief authored House File 2139 [ [link removed] ] with a number of Republican co-authors in an effort to press for "proper and effective management of the wolf population" in Minnesota. ?I look forward to hearing from the people directly affected by wolf and elk predation issues and will hold the related state agencies accountable to take effective action with respect for our natural resources, our hunters and our farmers and ranchers.

*Anti-ATV Bill*

Expectations are that a concerning anti-ATV bill, HF2791 [ [link removed] ],? will also be heard in committee this session.? The bill would require mandatory environmental assessment worksheets for off-highway vehicle trails and expand the enforcement duties of conservation officers._ _

ATV bill
*Sanctuary State *

Last week, Democrats held a press conference on their sanctuary state bill, the North STAR Act [ [link removed] ]. This is obviously an extreme policy that is not supported by the majority of Minnesotans.? For those of us in the northwest corner of the state sharing an international border, the issue is much more real, urgent, and relevant.? Illegal border crossings in our area are up substantially and I have had a number of conversations with our local law enforcement and county officials, as well as many concerned constituents. Minnesotans want a secure border?and as resources are diverted to our southern border, it only stands to reason that our northern border becomes a prime opportunity for illegal crossings. Sanctuary cities in other parts of the country have struggled with the surge in illegal immigration. It has caused tremendous strain on housing, education, food shelves, health care, public safety, and other resources. Minnesota is already feeling a strain in many of these areas?we can?t continue to further overburden our social services system.

*Physician Assisted Suicide*

On January 25th, the House Health Finance and Policy held a hearing on the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. I believe that our state has a duty to uphold the value of life, and HF 1930 [ [link removed] ] runs contrary to the principles of compassion and common sense. Minnesota will become a magnet for assisted suicide under the proposed bill, as it lacks a residency requirement.

The sterile way the Democrats discuss this issue is appalling. Rather than having a substantive discussion about palliative care and hospice utilization, they treat suicide like a mere medical procedure.? Democrat Sen. Hoffman is on the record opposing the legislation. In a 2023 Star Tribune oped [ [link removed] ] he called assisted suicide ?dangerous? and raised concerns over potential consequences for vulnerable populations like people with disabilities. One sentence in particular stands out to me:

"?The risk lies not in undervaluing personal autonomy for the few who currently want assisted suicide, but in *normalizing attitudes that prioritize convenience over compassion.*? "

After a spending spree that squandered a record $17.5 billion surplus, increasing the state budget by 40 percent, $10 billion in new taxes and fees, and paltry $260 rebates this last session, it is frustrating to see misplaced priorities taking precedence once again over the valid concerns of families struggling with childcare and budgets at home.? Instead of conversations about glaring regulatory overreach and continued unmet local infrastructure needs the last legislative session focused on a sloppily written recreational marijuana bill, changing our state flag and spending $730 million on the State Office Building.? The State of Minnesota faces a $2.3 billion structural deficit for the 2026-27 biennium as spending is expected to exceed revenues through fiscal year 2027. MMB said "?the budget outlook was constrained.?"? Undisciplined and unsustainable governance by the DFL trifecta must end.

This Session

I currently serve on the Agriculture, Environment, Property tax committees. I anticipate troubling legislation will be heard in those committees, changes to drainage law without input form the Drainage Workgroup, possible animal rights/welfare language, and talk of a potential feedlot moratorium bill. ?I have also been asked to fill a vacancy on the Children and Families committee this upcoming session and look forward to bringing my perspective as a father of five and a soon to be grandfather of seven. Please feel free to reach out to me with questions, ideas, or concerns.






Please Contact Me

My door is always open to the needs and priorities of our area. Please feel free to let me know if I can be of assistance to you and your family.

I am here to serve you!

John Burkel









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309 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
651.296.9635







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