Agriculture, Broadband, and Housing Package to Help Greater Minnesota Compete in Modern Economy Passes Senate

On Wednesday, the Minnesota Senate handed a big Agriculture, Broadband, and Housing invoice to assist Minnesota producers and households. The laws works to develop broadband funding, addresses pressing issues in our agriculture sector and improves entry to reasonably priced housing.

“This bill is a huge win for Northwest Minnesota,” Senator Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) mentioned.“Investing in reliable internet, critically needed workforce housing, and our agriculture economy is vitally important. Our legislation responds to urgent needs facing Greater Minnesota while providing solutions to long-term terms challenges.” 

Supporting Minnesota Agriculture

Senate Republicans have constantly advocated for sources to assist our producers and everybody who is part of Minnesota agriculture. Republicans proceed their dedication in this 12 months’s Agriculture package deal. 

The laws works to assist our producers fight the continuing Avian influenza outbreak by appropriating $500,000 to the agricultural emergency account to be used for avian influenza testing provides. Additionally, included is $350,000 for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory on the University of Minnesota for tools to check for continual losing illness (CWD), African swine fever, avian influenza, and different animal illnesses. 

The package deal contains Senator Johnson’s provision to assist reimburse and offset misplaced income for Minnesota deer farmers who had been impacted by the banning of deer motion by the Department of Natural Resources. The motion ban has had a devastating impression on Minnesota deer farmers.

Additionally, Senator Johnson’s provision for $500,000 for persevering with building of the soybean processing and analysis facility on the Ag Innovation Campus in Crookston is included.

Finally, the Agriculture part of the invoice builds on previous packages efficiently championed by Senate Republicans to help livestock processing. This contains investments in meat chopping and butchery coaching packages; cash to begin, modernize or develop meat, poultry, dairy, and egg processing services; and grants for coaching highschool college students and workers of small processors. 

Investing in Connecting Minnesotans with Broadband

The Senate invoice invests closely in bettering Minnesota broadband connectivity.  The laws directs a historic degree of up to $210 million of federal cash to enhance Minnesota broadband which is on high of the $70 million the legislature handed final session. The invoice works to guarantee Minnesota is just not left behind in receiving federal broadband {dollars}.  

Investments in the Border-to-Border broadband grant program have turn into more and more essential to join all Minnesotans to the trendy economic system. Roughly 240,000 Minnesota households are with out dependable web entry together with 25% of rural Minnesota households. 

“Making historic investments inbroadband development will give greater economic opportunities for Northwest Minnesotans,” Johnson mentioned.“Without these investments, rural Minnesota will be left behind.” 

Promoting Pathways to Home Ownership

 The invoice features a complete housing plan to guarantee Minnesotans have steady housing and promotes and encourages pathways to homeownership. 

The Senate laws contains funding for the Homeownership Investment Grants Program that gives funding to Minnesota-based Community Development Financial Institutions to enhance reasonably priced homeownership in our state. Republicans additionally make new investments for the Workforce Homeownership Program, which is designed to enhance the availability of workforce and reasonably priced, owner-occupied housing.  

The invoice prevents the governor from issuing any govt order that prohibits or delays evictions for greater than 30 days except an extension to the order is permitted by a majority vote of every home of the legislature.

The laws combats misguided hire management insurance policies by prohibiting native governments from enacting hire management on non-public residential properties, retroactive to November 1, 2021, and it requires the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to full a report on the impacts of hire management on reasonably priced housing. In the meantime, the laws restricts MHFA from utilizing any funds on multifamily housing initiatives in cities which have adopted a hire management ordinance.

The invoice now awaits motion by the House of Representatives.