Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the House, where it’s starting to feel like spring and the May 17 deadline to adjourn will be here before we know it.
We are now making our way through the first and second deadlines for bills to make preliminary progress in the House and remain in the mix for passage this year. That means, before long, committee work will start winding down and more of our time will be spent on the House floor, debating bills and taking votes on final passage.
Here are some of my latest notes from the Capitol:
People in our area understand that dairy farming is tough work. It is expensive and the work never really stops. With that in mind, we are waiting for the House to take further action on a bill the ag committee approved earlier this session to give more dairy farmers a chance to succeed by expanding access to grants through the Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Relief Initiative, which is run by the Department of Agriculture.
Right now, those DAIRI grants are limited to farmers enrolled in the USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage Program, and the payments are based on milk production from 2022. This bill would change that by allowing farmers who started producing milk after 2022 to also qualify. The goal is to get more support to newer and emerging dairy farmers, who often need help the most. Estimates say this could open the door for about 30 to 40 additional dairy farmers to access these grants.
The Senate approved its version of this bill unopposed on a 66-0 vote earlier this week. The House bill has been in the possession of Ways and Means for some time now, its last stop before it can be put to a vote from the full body. I hope movement happens soon.
There was a good show of bipartisanship this week when the House voted unanimously to end the state’s Housing Stabilization Services program amid concerns about fraud and insufficient oversight. The program has seen the misuse of hundreds of millions of public dollars, drawing comparisons to the Feeding Our Future case. The bill now awaits Senate approval, where it is anticipated to pass.
Meanwhile, it was disappointing to see a Pass Through Entity bill blocked that would provide tax relief for Minnesota businesses by conforming with new federal policy. There is no cost to the state of Minnesota for passing this bill and the House Republican lead on taxes said this would provide a combined $2.05 billion in relief for 66,000 businesses in Minnesota.
Unless we pass this bill very soon, those tax dollars will go to the federal government instead of staying with local businesses, which would be unfortunate.
Look for more from the House soon and, until next time, have a good weekend and hope you enjoy the warmer temperatures.
Sincerely,
Paul