The “Game and Fish” bill, along with legislation pertaining to education, will be two of the major bills heard on the House floor this week. The Bonding Bill could also be debated in both chambers this week, although much work remains to reconcile the two versions. The Senate bonding proposal calls for nearly twice as much spending as the House version in addition to not fully addressing major concerns about the renovation of our aging state capitol building. The House has crafted a separate bonding bill that spends $230 million on both the exterior and interior of the Capital over a four-year period, while the Senate language contains a much smaller one-time allotment for building renovation. The capital structure was built over a century ago (completed in 1904) and is badly in need of major repair.
The legislation pertaining to the outdoors to be acted upon this week doesn’t contain language that would raise license fees for both hunting and fishing. If those fees are to be increased, that provision will come in a later bill. I have heard from many sportsmen, and most seem to be in favor of modest increases, which would be the first in 11 years for the Game and Fish fund. According to the DNR, if those fees are not increased, the fund could run into the “red” sometime next year. This bill does contain language establishing a hunting and trapping season for wolves in northern Minnesota and sets the license fee at $26, the same as a deer license. An estimated 3,000 wolves inhabit our state, and the goal of the DNR is to “take” about 400 during the first year’s season.
Among the major provisions of the education bill to be debated this week is language detailing how approximately $4 million in early childhood education funding gets allocated. Under rules established by the Minnesota Department of Education, only those early childhood programs rated highly by a system known as “Parent Aware” would qualify for this new funding. Trouble is, most of those programs are in the metro area, with few in out-state regions. I offered a bill calling for half the funds must be spent outside the seven-county metro area. If our legislation is passed and signed by the Governor, parents could choose which program their children would enroll in, and they could qualify for scholarships to help defray the cost. If there was enough interest, up to half the funding would go to parents and their children living in Greater Minnesota.
The omnibus agriculture bill, of which I am the main author, was heard and passed out of the House late last week. Although many of the bill’s provision were technical in nature, we still had a spirited floor debate as several controversial amendments were offered. One would have allowed for the distribution of raw, unpasteurized milk. Currently, the sale of raw milk is allowed in Minnesota, but only on the farm where it was produced. The Department of Agriculture is strongly opposed to the provision, citing safety concerns. In Minnesota last year, several people, including a two-year old, were sickened in two separate incidents according to information from the Department. Those in favor of expanded raw milk sales cited health benefits and personal freedom issues. After a long discussion, the amendment was eventually withdrawn. The bill now heads for a conference committee to be reconciled with the Senate version, which is expected to be passed this week.
The Legislature adjourns at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, April 5th, for our Easter and Passover recess. We are scheduled to return on Monday, April 15th. May you and your family enjoy the season and have a blessed Easter.
Rep. Anderson can be contacted by email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-4317. To receive email updates sign-up on his webpage at www.house.mn/13a
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