Legislative Update – June 10, 2025
Dear neighbors,
On Monday, legislators completed our work, passing a state budget that funds our government for the next two years. Throughout the legislative session, I’ve fought for a state budget that invests in our district, improves the lives of working Minnesotans, and protects us from the chaos we’re seeing in Washington, D.C. A tied House requires compromise and while many of the bills have provisions I disagree with, we got the job done for Minnesotans.
We worked to block numerous efforts to roll back the progress made in 2023 and 2024, especially worker protection measures such as Paid Family and Medical Leave and Earned Sick and Safe Time, ensuring that individuals don’t have to choose between their job and a paycheck. Minnesotans will still have reproductive freedom and universal free school meals, and our state’s strong clean energy, environmental protection, and gun violence prevention laws remain intact because DFLers held the line while still compromising where we could find bipartisan solutions.
We passed budget bills for Commerce, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, Children and Families, Higher Education, Human Services, K-12 Education, Taxes, and Transportation. I also voted for a pair of Capital Investment bills that improve our state buildings, transportation, and water infrastructure. You can read about each of those bills in more detail at the linked articles from House nonpartisan staff. I’ll continue to highlight notable provisions from these bills that impact you in future newsletters.
South St. Paul Compensatory Aid
Last month, I voted in favor of the House’s K-12 Education budget bill with the hope that committee leaders could find a path forward that supports districts like South St. Paul that rely on compensatory aid. I’m glad to report that the final budget bill holds SSP and other districts harmless for the next two years and establishes a task force to find a long-term solution to this issue.
House GOP co-chair Ron Kresha stated on the Floor that this provision was the result of conversations he had with school superintendents, including in South St. Paul, after my speech about the impact of compensatory aid cuts on our schools. You can watch that here. I’m thankful this budget doesn’t make unfair cuts to our district’s great schools, and I was proud to vote Yes.
Passing Kayla’s HOPE Legislation
The Transportation Budget includes $8 million in funding I authored to construct suicide prevention barriers on the Washington Avenue Bridge on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus. This issue came to me directly from a constituent, MJ Weiss, who lost her daughter, Kayla, to suicide on that bridge. My colleagues and I, from both sides of the aisle, were determined to get this across the finish line this year because we know that prevention measures like this save lives.
I want to thank MJ, Kayla’s HOPE, and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) for their dedicated work on this issue, as well as the students who testified in committee about the need for this funding. This would not have happened without your unwavering advocacy. You can read a message from SAVE CEO Erin Mische written after the bill passed here.
Environment Budget Bill
I voted in favor of our Environment and Natural Resources Budget because it keeps our Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Control Agency, and Board of Water and Soil Resources running. The bill includes some policy provisions I opposed in committee, but I supported increased funding for our parks, tree planting, outdoor school programs for kids, and continued investment in addressing aquatic invasive species.
The budget includes my bill on abandoned boats, which provides law enforcement with the tools they need to keep our waterways clear and clean and holds those responsible accountable. The budget also has a “clean” LCCMR bill, which uses constitutionally-dedicated lottery proceeds for their intended purpose—protecting our water, air, soil, and wildlife. I’ll share more details about that LCCMR bill in future updates.
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