Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This week marks the 1st and 2nd deadlines in the House and Senate. All bills must have passed their committee of origin in both bodies or they will have a harder time making it through the process this year. We also know that with omnibus bills, no policy or law that the Democrats want to pass is completely out of the picture until the final gavel drops to end the session.  To stop things from being slipped into bills at the last minute is why we need to enforce the single subject provision of the Minnesota constitution.   

So far, I have been fortunate to get a few bills heard this session.   One bill gave farmers towing implements the ability to dodge an obstacle on the side of the road safely without getting nailed with a ticket.  The Goodhue County Sheriff’s office supports the bill, and I have been working with the State Patrol to ensure the language works for them, too, so we can get to final passage.  The bill came from a handful of constituents in my and Rep. Pam Altendorf’s district who got warnings last fall during harvest.

Another bill, authored by Rep. Steve Jacob in the House, would give a $5 credit per acre to farmers who are private well owners to make improvements on their wells.  The recent reports on water quality in the Karst Region in Southeastern Minnesota suggest that proper maintenance and upgrading of these wells would improve water quality for people who use these wells.  You can watch the hearing here.

As I said in last week’s newsletter, I’ve heard from quite a few of you about bills that have been moving through the House and Senate.  One bill that would prohibit schools and community education from hatching chicks for educational purposes got an earful from the public this week from the Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development committee. The author claimed that the birds could spread disease to agricultural flocks and infect children and that schools didn’t have adequate facilities to hatch chickens properly; teachers and others testified about their chick-hatching lesson plans, and the bill was amended to restrict only “waterfowl" hatching.

This is one more example of how agriculture, especially animal agriculture, is being targeted in our state by progressive democrats. They would rather our children not learn about the cycle of life and the food we eat in a natural way that science teachers and agricultural educators have been doing for over a hundred years in Minnesota. 

Health and Safety is once again being used as a excuse by government to control our rural way of life. I will continue to vote and speak against any attempt to do this. 

In last week's mail, I received a “Notice of Certificate of Need Application” from Xcel for work on a new transmission line between Mankato and the Mississippi River.  This line will cross the southern part of Senate District 20.  A certificate of need application is the beginning of a process where a utility asks the Public Utilities Commission for permission to do the work and outlines the steps it will take, including acquiring the necessary property rights for the right of way by negotiating with impacted landowners.  An environmental impact report will also be done.

During the process, there will be public meetings and opportunities to comment on the application. To learn more about the project, visit the Mankato-Mississippi River Transmission Project website.  

Here are some pictures from more recent visits to my office and in the district. ABATE motorcycle awareness group, Constituents from Eyota lobbying for better benefits around prosthetic limbs, Students from Gustavus for private college day on the hill, Goodhue County Commissioners, Chatfield City Council. Red Wing City Council, on a tour of their Sorin's Bluff drinking water project with Rep. Pam Altendorf.

Please contact me to share any issues, concerns, or feedback you have to assist me in best representing you.  The best way to reach me is by email at [email protected] or by phone at 651-296-5612. My legislative assistant is Margaret Martin, and her number is 651-296-4264.  

Sincerely,

Steve Drazkowski

Minnesota Senate, District 20, Wabasha, Goodhue, Winona, Olmsted, and Dakota Counties.

2411 Minnesota Senate Building

95 University Avenue W.
Minnesota Senate Bldg.
St. Paul, MN 55155