On Wednesday, the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), which I co-chair, met and heard reports on completed projects that protect, conserve, preserve, and enhance Minnesota's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.
The LCCMR also approved $1,267,000 in an Emerging Issues Request to support research on detecting the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus in Minnesota wildlife. As we continue to detect HPAI not only in poultry, but also wild mammals, it is critical we take action to better understand and respond to the spread of HPAI.
You can read the HPAI request here, and watch a full recording of the meeting here.
This week, I received the monthly revenue update from the House's nonpartisan chief fiscal analyst. The update this month looks at general fund revenue for October. The revenue for the month was $24 million higher than estimated in the previous February Economic Forecast.
Net receipts from other revenues were higher than forecast, more than offsetting lower than expected net sales tax receipts. Individual income tax and corporate franchise tax receipts were close to forecast. You can read more here.
In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature passed bipartisan legislation investing $240 million for lead pipe replacement. As part of that effort, the state created a Minnesota Lead Service Line Tracking Tool that inventories the presence of lead service lines statewide.
You can enter an address or city to find out whether lead is present. In some cases, it may not be known presently whether there are lead service lines, so updates are likely.
Finally, as part of the House DFL’s efforts to address PFAS contamination in our state, the Legislature directed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to develop and implement a strategy to test for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolids that are applied to land.
The MPCA is currently gathering feedback on its plan, which can be found here. They also will hold a free webinar to provide an overview of the draft strategy on November 19, from 10 - 11:30 a.m. You can RSVP here.
Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the year. 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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