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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Brian Daniels (R)

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Legislative Update from Rep. Brian Daniels

Friday, March 15, 2024

Dear Neighbors,

On Tuesday, legislation I have authored that provides funding to address water-quality concerns at French Lake in Rice County received a hearing in the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

The bill provides funding needed for a lake revitalization system which has had tremendous success across Minnesota including at Loon Lake in Waseca County. 

The proprietary technology can supply oxygen to oxygen-starved lakes to give them a better chance at fighting algae growth. In doing so, the system restores the balance of the lake’s ecosystem and can bring it back to its natural equilibrium.

To this point, the results have spoken for themselves and it is exciting that we will hopefully be able to get this system up and running in French Lake.

If the system continues its success at French Lake, it may be a good leaping-off point for the rest of Minnesota as a real and practical way to address so many of the issues facing lakes around the state.

Universal Basic Income 

On Tuesday, the House Children and Families Committee debated legislation authored by St. Paul Representative Athena Hollins, that would establish a universal basic income program in Minnesota.

More specifically, the bill would establish a pilot program that would allocate $100 million across the state in the form of no less than $500 monthly cash payments to certain low-income Minnesotans — including illegal immigrants.

As the Republican-lead on this committee, I was proud of the work our members did making the case for how destructive this proposal would be not only for the way it could disincentivize work but also how it would make Minnesota a magnet for illegal immigration.

House Democrats have bent over backward the last two years to provide benefits to undocumented individuals while Minnesotans struggle under soaring inflation thanks to their reckless fiscal policies.

To date, we’ve seen Democrats give undocumented immigrants driver's licenses, free health care, and free college. And now they want to make Minnesota a sanctuary state and provide a universal basic income for these individuals.

Minnesotans are hurting enough, and we cannot afford any of these new programs. I will continue fighting against these reckless policies.

Staying in Touch

Keep an eye on your email inbox as I will be sending weekly newsletters discussing what’s happening in St. Paul and how I’m working on behalf of our communities. 

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share any thoughts, questions, or concerns. It would be good to hear from you! 

I can be reached by phone at 651-296-8237 or via email at rep.brian.daniels@house.mn.gov

God Bless,

Brian