Senator Andrew Mathews is proposing legislation that would require legislative oversight of rules enacted by unelected bureaucrats. This follows his participation in a joint hearing of the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committees that discussed the recently proposed egregious penalties against family farmers for failing to comply with buffer regulations. The proposal would fine farmers tens of thousands of dollars for noncompliance, a direct contradiction of state law that specifically sets the maximum fine at $500. The penalties were proposed by officials with the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) without any input from elected legislators.

“Sadly, this is the latest case of heavy-handed government overreach,” said Senator Mathews. “As BWSR just demonstrated, agencies regularly negate the law. Under this governor’s administration, state agencies routinely interpret state statutes to fit their own agenda, sometimes even contradicting legislative intent. This practice needs to stop.”

During the joint committee hearing, John Jaschke, the director of BWSR, stated that the agency’s approach was a mistake. He further admitted that Senator Mathews’ proposed legislation would have avoided these rules from being released.

“Since it is clear this mistake would have been avoided by legislative oversight, Minnesota desperately needs this legislation implemented,” added Senator Mathews. “I will continue to support government transparency and giving the public a voice.”