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Legislative Update ? February 14, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

Last week, the House voted to pass two important bills aimed at addressing food insecurity in our schools and community. We passed a bill to provide free breakfast and lunch [ [link removed] ] for all Minnesota school kids. One in four students who experience food insecurity do not qualify for existing free and reduced meal programs?this bill closes that gap and removes the stigma of being a part of these programs. We also passed legislation to deliver $5 million in emergency funding for food shelves [ [link removed] ] in light of record numbers of visits to food shelves last year. I was proud to support both bills!

School Food
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Environment Committee Hearing

Today the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, which I chair, will be taking up several very important bills. We are hearing legislation to expand the wild elk population [ [link removed] ] and range by working with the Fond du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa, a bill that bans the use of deadly neonicotinoid insecticides [ [link removed] ] on all state lands, and a bill strengthening requirements for labeling items as biodegradable or compostable [ [link removed] ]. These common-sense bills are just a piece of the work we are doing to protect our environment for generations to come!

Our committee will also be hearing a bill to ban the use of ?forever chemicals? like PFAS in a variety of products [ [link removed] ] such as carpets, cookware, cosmetics, children?s products, ski wax, and more. Study after study has shown these chemicals to be linked to cancer and other health issues as well as contamination in groundwater and local wells. No one wants these forever chemicals in their bodies, and it is far past time to take action to ban PFAS. We heard about other bills related to PFAS last month, which you can read about here [ [link removed] ]. The hearing will be streamed live on the House Public Information Page [ [link removed] ].

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Legislative Audit Commission

I am proud to announce I have been elected as chair of the Legislative Audit Commission, which had its first meeting of the session yesterday. The Legislative Audit Commission is a bipartisan, bicameral commission with 12 members, six from each body. The commission appoints the Legislative Auditor and selects topics for the office to review.

As a member of the commission since my election in 2004, I have seen firsthand the great work our Legislative Auditor does to increase accountability and transparency in our government. The commission has made important bipartisan reforms over the last few years, including reforms to the budget process and performance reviews, and I am excited to build on that work this session. You can read my statement here [ [link removed] ] and learn more about the Legislative Auditor and the work they do here [ [link removed] ].

LAC Meeting
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Stay in Touch!

Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the legislative session. You can reach me by email [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 [email protected].?

Sincerely,

Rick Hansen
State Representative






*Representative Rick Hansen*

407 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

Phone: 651-296-6828
Email:[email protected]
Website:?[link removed]
Legislative Assistant:?Sam O'Neill 651-296-3305







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