Hello Northlanders,

I hope this email finds you and your family doing well. At the Capitol, we’ve been having some long sessions on the House Floor as we debate and pass budget bills. House DFLers and I have put together our budget proposal to help workers, families, and businesses that have been impacted the worst over the past year so they can emerge from the pandemic with the opportunity to once again succeed and thrive.

Agriculture and Broadband Investments

Last Thursday, the House passed our Agriculture budget bill to strengthen farming and food production in Minnesota. It makes new investments in emerging farmers, has more resources for meat processors, expands Farmer/Lender Mediation, and adds two new members to the Board of Animal Health: one veterinarian and one person who has knowledge of animal health and is a member of a federally recognized tribe located in Minnesota.

The bill also invests $30 million over the next two years in the state Border to Border Broadband Grant Program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesotans have had an unprecedented reliance on broadband. Students, families, and businesses have come to depend on internet access more than ever, not to mention those who depend on telehealth visits. Robust investments in high-speed broadband are some of the most urgent steps we can make to protect rural communities and economies. The $30 million investment would supplement funding Minnesota will receive under the American Rescue Plan eligible toward broadband expansion which Congress recently passed and President Biden signed into law. State officials are still determining how much money could be available for broadband investments, but overall I’m confident we will be able to make great progress this year toward meeting our goals to bring high-speed internet to all Minnesotans.

Labor and Workforce Budget

Also last week, the House Passed the Labor, Industry, Workforce, and Business Development budget. Serving as Chair of the Labor, Industry, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee this session, I’m proud of the investments in this bill to help families, workers, and small businesses emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The legislation expands Earned Sick & Safe Time and Paid Family & Medical Leave so workers can see the doctor, bond with a newborn, or care for an ill loved one without having to forgo a paycheck. Additionally, the bill has provisions to help laid-off hospitality workers get back on the job, enacts new safety and health protections for meat packers, and expands workplace accommodations for nursing and pregnant mothers. The bill also delivers funding for struggling small businesses, with over $75 million in investments, including $50 million to be used as emergency relief, and $12 million to aid new or existing child care providers supporting Minnesota’s workforce.

Environment Budget

Additionally on Thursday, which was Earth Day, I was proud to vote for the House Environment & Natural Resources budget. The bill includes important solutions to protect our air, water, land, and wildlife. It includes several provisions I originally chief-authored. One of these measures includes comprehensive actions to address the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in our wild white-tailed deer population. It includes fencing requirement for cervid farms, registration, reporting, surveillance, and movement restrictions, prohibits any farms with CWD-positive tests in its herd from raising farmed Cervidae for ten years, prohibits the transport of all carcasses into Minnesota unless they’ve been appropriately butchered and cleaned, and transitions authority over Cervidae farms from the Board of Animal Health to the Department of Natural Resources. We also back up these changes with funding, including for planning and emergency response and the DNR’s adopt-a-dumpster program.

The legislation includes my proposal to help loggers who were hurt by the sudden closure of the Verso paper mill in Duluth. It allows the DNR to grant two-year extensions on timber permits, authorizes the DNR to cancel certain timber sales and provide down-payment refunds for permits, and allows permit holders to return intact cutting blocks.

We also fund Phase I of the Voyageur Country ATV Trail connections in the areas of Cook, Orr, Ash River, Kabetogama Township, and International Falls to the Voyageur Country ATV Trail system, new trail connections and a new bridge across the Beaver River connecting the Prospector trail system to the Taconite State Trail near Ely, and funding to develop a statewide master OHV trail plan.

Energy Assistance Available

The last year has been full of hardship for many Minnesotans, and some folks might be behind on heating bills. Help is available from the state’s Energy Assistance Plan, including for utility payments, help with disconnections or fuel deliveries, and repair or replacement of heating systems. Visit the Minnesota Department of Commerce for more info.

Please continue to contact me with your feedback and ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

Rob Ecklund
State Representative