ST. PAUL, MN – Today, lawmakers in the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Omnibus Legacy bill by a vote of 70-55. The legislation, authored by Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL—Minneapolis) funds 100 percent of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council recommendations and does not alter the makeup of the Council.
“This is a strong bill that responsibly allocates over $500 million in funding to Legacy projects throughout our state,” said Rep. Kahn. “We’ll have the resources we need to fund the priorities Minnesotans told lawmakers they value when they approved the Legacy Amendment in 2008.”
Funds for the four Legacy funds over the next biennium are allocated as follows:
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Over $147 million for the Outdoor Heritage Fund
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Over $191 million for the Clean Water Fund
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Over $83 million for Parks and Trails Fund
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Over $114 million for the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund
Below are some of the major highlights on how funds would be spent in each area.
Outdoor Heritage Fund:
Per the Constitution, Outdoor Heritage Funds must be used “only to restore, protect and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests and habitat for fish, game and wildlife.”
The bill incorporates all of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) recommendations, with some of their recommended funding allocated in the second year of the biennium.
Funds for each area are allocated as follows:
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$33,486,000 for prairies, including Phase 4 of the Minnesota Prairie Recovery Project which goes towards acquiring and enhancing native prairie, wetland and savanna.
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$15,106,000 for forests, which includes $2 million for the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association to acquire land for moose habitat.
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$42,760,000 for wetlands, including $24 million for Phase 5 of the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Wetlands Reserve Program Partnership.
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$54,688,000 for habitats, including nearly $10 million to help protect aquatic habitat from aquatic invasive species.
Clean Water Fund:
The funding priorities in the Clean Water portion of the bill address areas of greatest need and appropriate funds to departments that are best suited to handle each type of issue. It reflects the need to address the present and growing groundwater problem throughout Minnesota.
33 percent of the Legacy funds are devoted to this area. A heavy emphasis was placed on funding projects with measurable outcomes.
Parks and Trails Fund:
Funding for this component is broken down into three primary areas: DNR State Parks and Trails, Metropolitan Council Parks and Trails, and parks and trails of regional significance in Greater Minnesota (typically county or city parks).
The bill focuses on continuing the development and interconnectedness of Minnesota’s nationally recognized and awarded trail system. It comprises 14.25 percent of the Legacy funds.
The Minnesota DNR currently estimates a roughly $130 million deferred maintenance backlog as well as a need for roughly $1 billion to acquire inholdings for state parks and to complete legislatively authorized state trails. The DNR trails appropriations combined with funding in the House bonding bill would fund nearly every one of the DNR’s self-identified high priority projects, most medium priority projects, and some low priority projects, which are primarily funded for planning and initial acquisition.
Between capital investment and Legacy funds, Minnesota can take serious steps to reduce current backlog while simultaneously improving the interconnectedness of the parks and trails.
Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund:
Funding for this component comprises 19.75 percent of the Legacy Funds. Over 52 percent of the funds go to arts programs, primarily through the Minnesota Arts Board and the Regional Arts Councils, with $2 million in additional funds compared to the previous biennium.
Funds are also allocated to the Minnesota Historical Society, public TV, public radio, and the Humanities Center. A variety of zoos, museums, and other cultural entities would receive smaller grants.
With the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra resolving its lockout, they will be able to spend funds granted in the previous biennium. It remains unclear how funds for the Minnesota Orchestra will be utilized given how the group has not resolved its own labor dispute.