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Minnesota House of Representatives

Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

TWENTIETH MEETING

2025-2026 Regular Session - Thursday, February 26, 2026

STATE OF MINNESOTA TWENTIETH MEETING
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY-FOURTH SESSION


Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee

MINUTES

Representative Josh Heintzeman, Chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee, called the meeting to order at 1:01 PM, on February 26, 2026, in Room G3 of the Capitol Building.

Members present:

HEINTZEMAN, Josh, GOP Chair
FISCHER, Peter, DFL Chair
BURKEL, John, GOP Vice Chair
PURSELL, Kristi, DFL Vice Chair
FALCONER, Alex
FINKE, Leigh
GILLMAN, Dawn
GOTTFRIED, David
HANSEN, Rick
JACOB, Steven
JORDAN, Sydney
NELSON, Nathan
WARWAS, Cal

Members excused:

SCHULTZ, Isaac

A quorum was present.

Representative Pursell moved the minutes of April 10, 2025, be approved. THE MOTION PREVAILED.

Representative Pursell moved the minutes of February 24, 2025, be approved. THE MOTION PREVAILED.

HF 624 (Swedzinski) Anglers with a walleye stamp validation allowed to use additional lines.

Chair Heintzeman moved HF 624 before the committee.

The following individuals testified on HF 624:

Pat Rivers, Department of Natural Resources Deputy Director, Fish and Wildlife Division.

Chair Heintzeman laid over HF 624 for possible inclusion in a future bill.

The following individuals presented on the overview of the “Department of Nature Resources Outdoor Recreation Endorsement Report”:

Sarah Strommen, Department of Natural Resources Commissioner.
Ben Bergey, Department of Natural Resources Northwest Regional Director.

The following individuals presented on the overview of the “DNR Crossbow Use Report.”:

Barbara Keller, Department of Natural Resources Big Game Program Leader.
Nick Amunrud, Minnesota Bowhunters Inc. President.
Darrin Lee, Minnesota Deer Hunters Association.


The meeting was adjourned at 2:34 PM.




Representative Josh Heintzeman, Chair

Shaelong Yang, Committee Legislative Assistant

More Info On This Meeting..
Bills Added:
  • HF624 (Swedzinski) - Anglers with a walleye stamp validation allowed to use additional lines.
Documents:
Audio:
Listen Now
House TV Video:
View Archive

02:26 - HF624 (Swedzinski) Anglers with a walleye stamp validation allowed to use additional lines.
17:04 - Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation Endorsement Report.
1:02:23 - Department of Natural Resources Crossbow Use Report.
Runs 1 hour, 33 minutes.

DNR Crossbow Use Report
DNR Outdoor Recreation Endorsement Report
MN School Trust Lands Recreational Use Study
*HF 624 will be laid over.
*Items may be added, removed, or taken up in any order at the Chair's discretion.

TESTIMONY AND MATERIALS SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Individuals wishing to testify or submit written testimony or handouts for the hearing must e-mail the committee administrator (amy.zipko@house.mn.gov) by 1 p.m. the day prior to the hearing. Handouts must be in PDF format with OCR capability. In-person testimony may be limited due to committee time constraints.

AMENDMENT DEADLINE: Amendments must be e-mailed to the committee administrator by 3 p.m. the day prior to the hearing.