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Van Binsbergen




Dear Neighbor,

There was a shifting of gears in the House this week as we reach the point of the session where most committee work wraps up and we spend more time on the House floor debating the session’s biggest bills.

A bill to fund the agriculture section of our state’s next two-year budget was the first series of omnibus finance bills to reach the floor and it was approved yesterday. Here’s a look at that bill and more from the House this week:

*Ag bill passes*

The ag bill overwhelmingly approved by the House yesterday focuses on combating infectious diseases in flocks and herds – while also eliminating wasteful spending and rejecting the governor’s proposed fee increases.

It is good this bill helps provide the Board of Animal Health with resources it needs to respond to livestock disease outbreaks. Our state is a strong ag producer and we need to stay on top of managing the bird flu, which has impacted our turkey and chicken flocks and now has been found in dairy cattle as well.

It also is good this bill excludes fee increases proposed by Gov. Tim Walz’s Department of Agriculture. With how tough things are in ag right now, the last thing farmers and ag businesses need is a fee hike. There were proposals on the table that would’ve more than doubled grain inspection fees for some elevators, over 200% increases in some cases. I’m glad we were able to keep those hikes out of the bill.

Other provisions in the bill include cutting nearly $2 million from 2nd Harvest Heartland, defunding the “Climate Implementation Coordinator” at the Department of Ag, properly funding wolf and elk damage depredation payments, and rejecting costly mandates on food manufacturers and grocers requiring to test food for plastics.

A conference committee will now work to iron out differences between House and Senate ag bills before votes take place on final approval.

vb

"Enjoyed the opportunity to recently meet with Litchfield constituent Greg Langmo at Swan’s Café."

*Taxpayer costs for undocumented immigrant healthcare skyrocket*

What was supposed to be a $196 million program to provide “free” taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal immigrants has now exploded to an estimated $550 million – and counting.

In 2023, Democrats passed a law expanding MinnesotaCare to illegal immigrants. At the time, they said it would cost less than $200 million over four years. But jump ahead to today, and nearly 17,400 undocumented individuals are enrolled, more than double the 7,700 originally projected.

Unlike traditional MinnesotaCare recipients, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federal funding support. The federal government normally covers 90 percent of program costs, with the state responsible for the remaining 10 percent. Since this population is ineligible for federal matching funds, Minnesota taxpayers are covering the full cost of their “free” healthcare coverage.

Our state has a $6 billion budget deficit on the horizon. Minnesota families are suffering under rising costs. Vital funding for ambulance services, rural hospitals, and emergency care is on the chopping block. And Democrats are spending over half a billion dollars on free healthcare for individuals who are in Minnesota illegally.

It’s time to get back to common-sense budgeting, with the transparency and accountability Minnesotans deserve. House Republicans have introduced a bill to repeal this healthcare expansion for illegals. By doing so, we’ll save taxpayers hundreds of millions and make sure healthcare dollars are going where they’re really needed. Our priority is clear: let’s put Minnesotans first.

Watch for more from St. Paul soon. Until next time, have a good weekend and please stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Scott









State Rep. Scott Van Binsbergen
2nd Floor, Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55155
<[email protected]>[email protected] (651) 296-4344







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