SAINT PAUL, MN – Saturday, Governor Dayton vetoed the Environment and Agriculture Omnibus bill. The bill contained numerous controversial provisions and had significant opposition as it went through the legislative process. The bill also contained emergency funding for the H5N2 Avian Influenza crisis.
Rep. David Bly, the DFL Minority Lead on the Agriculture Policy Committee, released the following statement:
“Today, I’m hearing House Republican Majority members express concerns that Governor Dayton’s veto puts farmers at risk. Governor Dayton repeatedly directed the legislature to send him a standalone bill to provide the emergency funding. In the final days of the legislative session, I stood up five times and asked my colleagues to suspend the rules and send a clean bill to the Governor. Each and every time the Republican Majority voted not to move forward with providing emergency relief to farmers and those addressing the crisis.
“For legislators to now claim the Governor has put this funding at risk seems extremely hypocritical. This was made political by canceling conference committees and insisting the funding be tucked in a deeply controversial bill. We had an opportunity to help Greater Minnesota and support our turkey producers as Governor Dayton had asked, but five times the House Republicans all said ‘no’.”
Rep. David Bly (DFL-Northfield) is the DFL Minority Lead on the Agriculture Policy Committee. He can be reached at rep.david.bly@house.mn
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