Legislative Update – March 5, 2026

Legislative Update – March 5, 2026

Dear neighbors,  

First, a big thank you to the Saint Paul Fire Department! On Tuesday, they rescued Rep. Peter Fischer and me from a stuck elevator in the Centennial Office Building at the Capitol, and after an hour inside, we were very grateful for their service. 

It’s also been a busy week of constituent meetings and ‘Days on the Hill,’ with Minnesotans coming to the Capitol to make their voices heard on the issues that matter to them. Thank you for your advocacy! 

PFAS & Water Infrastructure

In the Capital Investment Committee, we heard testimony from experts on the risk and cost of PFAS contamination in our water. It would be hard to overstate the scope of this issue, with the cost of PFAS contamination cleanup projected to range from $14 billion to $28 billion over the next 20 years. 

Right now, those costs are falling on taxpayers, as we foot the bill for the mess that corporations made. I’m supporting several bills that seek to recoup some of the costs of this cleanup, and I’ll be fighting for solutions to these wastewater issues in a way that doesn’t let corporate polluters off the hook. 

Fighting Big Ag Monopolies

This week in the Agriculture Committee, I invited Austin Frerick, an expert on monopolies and ag policy, to present in front of the committee about the consolidation in our agricultural sector, and what we as policymakers can do to fix it. 

Austin is a first-generation college graduate from Iowa who has worked at the Treasury Department and studied economics and antitrust at Yale University. But, because he challenges the systems Big Ag has set up to benefit the big owners, they sent out alerts calling him a “non-mainstream activist.” 

I spoke in committee about how we could actually use more diversity of farms, companies, and thought in the agriculture space, and that we can't just do what we’ve done in the past, because the modern corporate food system isn’t working for the average Minnesotan. 

Stay in Touch!

Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the year. You can reach me by email at rep.rick.hansen@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-6828.

For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these regular legislative updates if you haven’t already, here, and you can also “like” and follow my official State Representative Facebook page.

Sincerely,

Rick Hansen
State Representative