Having trouble viewing this email?  [ [link removed] ]View it as a Web page [ [link removed] ].






Burkel









Hello from the State Capitol,

 

Minnesota House finance committees were putting in overtime this week as all major spending bills needed to receive committee approval by today. As this is a budget setting year, all areas within state government will have updated budget targets, and the House has begun that budget setting process.

 

Once lawmakers return from the Easter/Passover break, I expect individual budget bills to begin arriving on the House floor for passage. The Senate will go through the same process, and then negotiations between the two legislative bodies will begin.

 

*DEPREDATION LEGISLATION APPROVED ON HOUSE FLOOR *

The Minnesota House has approved my bill that would appropriate $250,000 in the fiscal year 2025 to compensate farmers for crop or fence damage caused by elk and livestock killed or crippled by wolves.

 

Under the wolf depredation program, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) compensates livestock owners whose livestock were killed or crippled by a wolf. The cap for compensation to a livestock owner is $20,000. Under the elk depredation program, the MDA compensates landowners whose crops or fence are damaged by elk, with compensation also capped at $20,000. 

 

The problem is current funding for depredation has been depleted. Over this past year, depredation claims have exceeded funding in both accounts and currently MDA is unable to settle those current claims. My bill would backfill these accounts to help pay for the 2025 claims. The bill now heads to the Minnesota Senate for its approval.

 

*LOCAL VISITORS*

I appreciated having Paul Dziengel and Jacob Bakke testify on HF1859, my wind turbine setback bill last week in the House Energy Finance and Policy Committee!

 

Burkel1

 

HF1859 as amended would not allow permits to be granted to a wind energy conversion system or solar energy generating system located outside of the metropolitan area that is within 500 feet of a county highway or within 500 feet of a residence, unless that owner and the owner of the proposed project agree to a lesser setback. 

 

This is an attempt to address the concerns of several of my constituents back home in District 1A. We heard from my testifiers about their recognition that clean, renewable energy such as wind has a place in the grid. The committee also heard their concerns about noise pollution and land values. I think that these concerns are valid and need to be considered as these projects are pushed forward.   






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









Facebook Logo [ [link removed] ]

 

/RepJohnBurkel





2584 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155
651.296.9635







________________________________________________________________________

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page [ [link removed] ]. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com [ [link removed] ].

This service is provided to you at no charge by Minnesota House GOP [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Minnesota House GOP · 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. · Saint Paul, MN 55155 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]