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Last Week in the Legislature Environmental budget allows schools to teach gun safety

ST. PAUL — Environment and natural resources budgets passed with bipartisan support in the Minnesota Senate last week would allow schools to teach gun safety courses and provide hunting and fishing training in physical education programs.

The $276 million environment and natural resources budget includes funding for state agencies, tourism, and conservation programs. It also adds resources to fight Aquatic Invasive Species, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and continued state park funding.

In addition, the budget includes funds to improve wastewater infrastructure and a new initiative that could allow the state to generate energy from dormant landfill facilities.

The Environment Bill (Senate File 2314) spends $1.639 billion in 2020-2021. It provides funding for the Pollution Control Agency (PCA), Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Minnesota Conservation Corps, Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), Minnesota Zoo, Science Museum, and the Minnesota Board of Tourism (Explore MN).

Notable policy changes include two-line fishing and establishment of a Wild Rice Council.

“Our budget protects our shared environment and nature resources and encourages Minnesotans to participate in the great outdoors,” said Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls. “We all want to preserve clean, accessible outdoors for generations to come. Our budget accomplishes that goal by living within its means and without forcing any unnecessary taxes, regulations, or fees.”

With bipartisan support, the Senate passed a $258 million agriculture budget that invests in state agencies, rural development and housing.

The bill funds the Dairy Producer Margin Coverage Premium Assistance program to help dairy farmers with profitability and increases grants to aid dairy farmers in creating new business plans.

The budget includes $30 million for rural broadband expansion and funds affordable manufactured housing and homeownership programs.

The agriculture budget prioritizes value-added agriculture opportunities that directly impact farmers and increase farmer mental health service resources.

“With low commodity prices that have severely affected the agriculture community, it is more important than ever that we look for ways to positively impact farmers that keep our agricultural economy growing,” Dahms said.

The bills await action by the House of Representatives.

Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska, said he opposes the Minnesota House Democratic majority that approved legislation with $3 billion in new taxes over the next four years.

“I’m concerned about the tax bill’s future. It’s been hard to get tax bills signed into law the last few years. I doubt the Senate supports tax increases of any kind,” Torkelson said. “This bill contains needed tax conformity with the federal government.”

The House majority also approved a bill that would fund health and human services programs over the next two years that includes extending a provider tax and nursing home reimbursement rate changes resulting in $68 million in cuts to nursing facilities.

“Very simply, this bill raises health care costs and cuts nursing home funding which is why I didn’t support it,” Torkelson said. “We made great progress in funding nursing homes last biennium. This bill would take us backward.”

The taxes, health and human service bills head to the Senate for more debate.

fbusch@nujournal.com

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