Legislative Update – April 30, 2026
Dear neighbors,
The weather has been absolutely beautiful this week, and it’s coincided with some of my favorite Capitol events. Three Rivers Park District brought baby lambs to meet and educate members, Classic Car Day was another success, and I met with Mayor Bailey, Commissioner Bigham, and students from Nuevas Fronteras Spanish Immersion Elementary School in St. Paul Park.
I also was glad to make it to the Croatian Hall for Mizpah Lodge #191’s Fill the Backpack Campaign taco feed, facilitated by the South St. Paul Mayor’s Youth Task Force. I was able to stop by and support the efforts last night before I had to head back to the Capitol for the State of the State.
At the Croatian Hall, I had a couple of constituents ask how they can track what’s happening at the legislature, and there are a couple of good ways:
Paraquat Ban Update
As co-chair of the House Agriculture Committee, I’m committed to using our power to put human health over corporate Big Ag profits. That’s why I’ve spent this session working to pass a ban on paraquat, which is linked to increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s patients testified for the committee in March, and they’re still calling on legislators to act now to protect future Minnesotans from developing this debilitating disease. There’s still hope that we can pass this bipartisan bill this year, but we need Republican leadership to listen to the people, not the Ag lobby. I spoke with a student reporter at the University of Minnesota about the bill, which you can read here.
Passing Legislation, Stopping Scams
On Monday, the House once again took up over a dozen bills for passage, finding areas where we can compromise and get things done for the people of Minnesota.
One bill we passed would ban cryptocurrency kiosks in the state, which have been used primarily to scam Minnesotans out of their savings, converting their money into crypto which is virtually untraceable and unrecoverable by law enforcement.
I'm proud to vote for this bill to protect people, close a clear avenue for fraud, and make sure our laws keep pace with the tactics scammers are using to exploit our communities.
You can also find more information on how to spot and stop scams on the Attorney General’s website here.
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