Legislative Update – June 22, 2023
Dear neighbors,
This week is Kaposia Days in South St. Paul, I hope you can get out and enjoy all the great events going on June 23rd, 24th, and 25th. There will be bingo, fireworks, a parade, a pancake breakfast, and more! You can find a full schedule of events at http://kaposiadays.org/site/.
Pollinator Week 2023!
It’s Pollinator Week (June 19-25), a time to honor the key role pollinators play in our ecosystem while also recognizing and addressing the threats they currently face — many of which are human-caused.
I co-wrote an op-ed with my law school intern, Mason Sargent, about the important progress we made this session to protect pollinators and the road ahead of us that was published in the Duluth News Tribune. You can read it here!
This year, ahead of Pollinator Week, the Minnesota Legislature passed several new laws to take great strides to combat the population decline in our local pollinators. Funding for research to develop conservation strategies, establishing a breeding population of the Karner blue butterfly, and restricting the use of harmful pesticides were included in the Legislature’s final environmental budget bill. The Legislature also restricted the use of neonicotinoid insecticides on state lands.
Agriculture Conference in Chicago
This weekend I visited Chicago for a National Conference of State Legislators Agriculture Task Force Meeting. We heard from industry leaders like ADM and Cargill, watched student presentations at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, visited the GreenEra Urban Farm, and more! You can learn more about the Urban Growers Collective here, a Black and women-led nonprofit farm in Chicago.
Reviewing LCCMR Proposals
This month I have been conducting meetings as co-chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), a bipartisan commission which oversees how dollars dedicated to preserving and protecting our environment are spent.
We are currently reviewing proposals for projects seeking funding in 2024. You can find a list of projects selected for presentation here, and find video recordings of the presentations on the LCCMR Youtube Page.
Stay in Touch
Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the year. You can reach me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-6828. You can contact my legislative assistant Sam O'Neill at 651-296-3305 or via email at samuel.oneill@house.mn.gov.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative