Greetings District 10! It was another busy week in St. Paul. The Minnesota Budget Forecast Minnesota’s February Budget forecast was released last week by Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) showing a $1.6 billion surplus for the 2022-23 budget cycle. This is positive news and is an increase of $2.9 billion from the deficit projected in the November forecast. Minnesota is in a better financial position than we expected just a couple of months ago. What this means is that Minnesota is taxed plenty…and we do not need to raise taxes! Walleye Limit Reduction Bill Passes Senate Committees This week, my Walleye Limit Reduction bill SF12 successfully passed Senate Committees and awaits action on the Senator Floor – the bill seeks to protect the walleye population in Minnesota by lowering the bag limit from six to four with one over 20 and two sauger. The language is identical to the Lake of the Woods regulations and other special regulation lakes, making it consistent statewide. According to the State Walleye Committee, where implemented, the change has not been detrimental to anglers or businesses. The goal is to help protect the walleye population for future generations. The legislation has been in discussion for years – and having all stakeholders working together was great. The legislation is important this year because of new pressures on the fishing industry. Minnesota sold more fishing licenses than in previous years, and that puts strain on our resources. Technology and social media have also made an impact on harvest numbers. We need to maintain our resources so we can continue to do the things we love in Minnesota! Minnow Importation in Minnesota This week, I presented a minnow importation bill SF14 in the Environment and Natural Resources Policy Committee. The legislation seeks to allow healthy certified Shiners to be imported into the state with a permit from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner. I have carried this bill for many years and wanted to bring it forward again this year because of how important the issue is for our bait industry. When I first introduced this bill in 2017, the industry was in a semi-crisis and there was not enough bait to meet fishing demands. Now we find ourselves in an even worse situation. Last year, we had the highest record of fishing licenses sold within the last 20 years, and the demand has created a frustrating situation for the bait dealers. When this issue surfaced in 2017, the legislature funded a DNR study on the potential risks of importing bait. In that report, the DNR acknowledged Minnesota’s environment was not conducive to producing shiners, yet they stated opposition to importing minnows. If enacted, the bill would require all imported minnows be certified “healthy” according to the World Health Organization for Animal Health or the Fish Health Section Blue Book of the American Fisheries Society. To alleviate any potential concerns over “invasive species,” this bill would also require minnows originate from a bio-secure facility that has tested negative for invasive species in the past 12 months. I have heard from Anglers that have spent up to $19 per dozen for Shiners because of shortages, and that is just outrageous. Our bait dealers have been frustrated for years, and we have done nothing to help them out. People are bringing minnows into the state illegally, and we want to encourage anglers to buy minnows from our reputable bait dealers. We have been talking about this for five years, yet the DNR is not solving the problem – it is time we figured this out. Manufactured Homes – Certificates of Title Provisions Modified I introduced SF675 (Manufactured Home Certificate of Title Provision Modifications) – the bill has passed multiple Senate Committees this week…working through the legislative process. The titling of manufactured homes is complicated because the current law. By default, it treats manufactured homes as personal property (example: like a car). The new legislation simplifies the process for a manufactured homeowner to cancel the certificate of title when affixing the home to the land and makes it real property. Successful Reinsurance Program Extended (keeping health insurance affordable) The Minnesota Senate with bipartisan support, passed legislation to extend Minnesota’s successful reinsurance program for another year. Extending the program ensures insurance rates in the individual market will remain stable, and without any additional cost to the taxpayers. Minnesota Republicans helped lead the way with current reinsurance program. The original $542 million for operations was offset by federal funding and the federal dollars will continue through 2022 with this extension. Reinsurance has been proven so effective at addressing both access to health care and the cost of health care, it is now being implemented in several other states across the nation. The reinsurance program has been extremely successful: it has provided coverage choices and lower costs, in 2016 the insurance market was unstable, so we fixed the problem. Our successful reinsurance program stabilized the market, brought in choice for consumers, and made insurance more affordable for small businesses and families. This is a good program that has continuously given Minnesotans some of the best rates in the country and helped hold down premium increases. In 2016 insurance premiums for the individual market increased by double digits, as high as 49%, due to changes from the Affordable Care Act. Furthermore, many counties only had one insurance company to choose from. Minnesota continues to enjoy nearly the lowest rates in the country, every county has at least two providers, and a new provider has started offering plans in the state. Governor Walz in his proposed budget did not include reauthorizing the state’s successful reinsurance program. The state risks destabilizing the individual health insurance market, drastic increases in premium costs, and could lose approximately $90 million in federal money if the program expires. Staying in Touch If you’re looking to hear more from the Capitol, please like me on Facebook. As always please feel free to contact my office with any questions you might have. My office can be reached by phone at (651) 296-4913 or at sen.carrie.ruud@senate.mn. Talk to you soon! Carrie Ruud |
