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State Representative Rod Hamilton
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5373
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS RELEASE
REP. HAMILTON DISCUSSES HOUSE AGRICULTURE FUNDING PROPOSAL
ST. PAUL – By a vote of 104 to 20, a proposal that will fund agriculture priorities over the next two years has been approved in the Minnesota House. The bill was sponsored by State Representative Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake), who serves as chair of the Minnesota House Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and Finance Committee.
“Even though we are facing a $5.1 billion budget deficit, it was important for this bill to prioritize critical services,” Hamilton said. “Our top goal was to protect the integrity of the food supply, and this legislation accomplishes that task.”
Hamilton said the proposal spends nearly $77 million on Minnesota’s agriculture programs. He noted that the bill called for no spending reductions for retail food handling and meatpacking inspections. It also provides continued funding and support for agriculture literacy programs, including 4-H, and Future Farmers of America, and grants to industry organizations and groups.
Hamilton said ethanol supporters and opponents would also find reasons to like this bill. Despite Minnesota’s budget woes, the plan fulfills the state’s commitment to ethanol producers by providing $15 million for the final ethanol producer deficiency payment in Fiscal Year 2012. However, it does not provide or continue state subsidies for ethanol in the years ahead.
Hamilton said it was important to craft an agriculture bill that Governor Dayton could sign, and he believes the governor will support the measure.
“We adopted many of his thoughts and priorities in this bill, and it was approved in our ag committee on a bipartisan basis prior to the House vote,” Hamilton said. “We made tough choices putting this legislation together, but ultimately the plan recognizes that Minnesota’s agricultural industry is an integral component of our state’s economy.”
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- WITH ECONOMIC TURNAROUND, HAMILTON SAYS IT’S TIME TO PAY BACK SCHOOLS - (Posted: 2012-03-16 00:00:00)
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- REP. HAMILTON DISCUSSES MINNESOTA HOUSE FINANCE PROPOSALS - (Posted: 2011-04-15 00:00:00)
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