Legislative Update – March 17, 2023
Dear Neighbors,
Earlier this month I was so glad to meet with St. Olaf College Professor Sarah Busch and her social policy class at the State Capitol. As a former Ole myself, it was a great opportunity to talk with students about the impact they can have today and in the future!
I also wanted to highlight my recent op-ed published in the Northfield News: Supporting rural communities and small farmers. In it, I discuss my bills to reinstate grants for ag co-ops, enhance the Farm-to-School program, and fund rural broadband development.
I could not be prouder of the work the House DFL and the Agriculture Committee are doing to support rural communities and our local farmers. As legislative deadlines approach, I will be doing all I can to advocate for these proposals and more, because I know when we invest in ourselves, we can make sure we all do better.
Bill Presentations
I am proud to carry legislation to fund a record $276 million in border-to-border broadband development grants. According to the Governor’s Broadband Task Force, around 290,000 households and businesses cannot access reliable high-speed internet. As we know, internet access is a necessity for businesses and farmers in today’s economy, not to mention our kids who have been increasingly learning and doing homework online. We heard testimony that counties with small populations have found it all but impossible to expand broadband access without state support, which is why I am carrying a bill to make up the difference.
I also presented the “Next Generation Farmers Bill” to establish a program to administer grants to agricultural businesses that hire adult interns who are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture but do not have experience in the field. The average age of a Minnesota farmer is over 60, and younger people do not know about the opportunities available in farming. Grants will help encourage farmers to pay interns $15 an hour to compete with other internships we see in the construction industry and other trades. I am proud to carry this bill, which will help prepare the next generation of farmers to feed Minnesotans. You can watch the hearing here.
Northfield Funding in Capital Investment Bill
Last session, a bipartisan agreement was reached on the framework of legislation to invest in local jobs and projects throughout Minnesota, but like many important proposals, Republican leadership chose to walk away instead of completing this work. Efforts to deliver on the legislation never stopped for DFLers, and now the Minnesota House has taken the first bipartisan step in finishing the business of 2022 by approving nearly $1.9 billion in investments for local jobs and projects throughout the state.
The bill included projects like the Mill Towns Trail, a 6.5-mile trail between Northfield’s Riverside Park and the Waterford Historic Bridge in Waterford Township. The route would be part of a broader project to connect the cities of Faribault, Dundas, Northfield, Waterford, Randolph, and Cannon Falls. This project will make Northfield more environmentally friendly and a better place to visit, live and raise a family. You can read my statement on the bill here.
This week, Senate Republicans voted against the same compromise bipartisan bill 21 House Republicans voted for earlier this month. I urge Senate Republicans to reconsider and vote in support of this bill which funds critical jobs projects in Northfield and all across the state.
House Floor Votes
Last week, The Minnesota House unanimously passed a bill to enhance child welfare protections under the 1985 Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, known as MIFPA. The legislation also affirms the state’s policy on Tribal-state relations, including the recognition of Tribes as sovereign nations and the recognition that Tribes have the inherent authority to determine their own jurisdiction for Indian child custody or child placement proceedings.
This Thursday, the House DFL passed legislation to provide emergency rental assistance to Minnesotans facing housing insecurity. The cost of rent and the number of evictions are increasing, and at a time when the protections and resources provided at the height of the pandemic are going away. We must deliver a lifeline to families as we continue our work to address the state’s housing crisis.
Stay Connected!
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Sincerely,
Kristi Pursell
State Representative