Dear Neighbors,
We’re a little over halfway through this year’s legislative session. As we move towards the home stretch of crafting and passing legislation, there are some important updates I’d like to share with you.
Emergency Assistance for Farmers
This winter saw record snowfall, and the most recent bout was especially heavy. Farmers across our state had collapsed barns, destroyed equipment, and lost livestock. Many were uninsured or underinsured for the amount of damage they experienced. In what has been an exemplary model of good governance, the Minnesota House, Senate, and Governor Walz acted swiftly to ensure that the Rural Finance Authority Board would be able to declare a disaster and offer low-interest loans to our state’s farmers. You can listen to my comments during the House floor vote in the video below, and you can learn more about these loans here. |
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| Rep. Lippert's remarks on Emergency Assistance for Farmers |
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Holding Drug Companies Accountable in the Opioid Crisis
Opioid manufacturers have been seeing record profits as Minnesotans are either dying or being rushed to emergency rooms for opioid overdoses. With numbers that have been steadily increasing since 2010, over 400 Minnesotans died from opioid overdoses in 2017. It’s to a point now where many of us know someone who has lost a loved one to this crisis, or have lost someone ourselves. This week, the Minnesota House passed bipartisan legislation to address the opioid crisis and ensure that opioid manufacturers contribute to the solution.
You can read more about the bill here.
Next Generation Farmers
As we pass legislation to help the current farmers in our state, I’m also working on a bill to ensure that we’re creating opportunities to foster Minnesota’s next generation of farmers. My bill would establish a new program with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture that would award grants to agricultural production businesses who hire paid adult interns interested in pursuing a career in agriculture. Thank you to Eric Sannerud and Chris Barth for presenting the Next Generation Farmer Program in committee with me.
Snow Day Relief
This hasn’t just been a difficult winter for farmers. The record snowfall and freezing temperatures have impacted all of us, especially our school districts. With schools making the responsible decision to declare snow days, we passed legislation granting schools some flexibility when it comes to calendar planning and compensating hourly employees. For closures during the three-day streak of Polar Vortex days in January, legislation that passed the House would allow school districts to count those as instructional days. Also included in the House bill are provisions that enable hourly employees who weren’t paid those days to have the opportunity to make up that time.
You can read more about snow day relief here.
Stay In Touch!
As always, you can contact me at rep.todd.lippert@house.mn, or at (651) 296-0171. Government is at its best when it’s open and collaborative, and I look forward to hearing your questions and comments on the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Todd Lippert |
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