Today, the Minnesota Senate passed a significant bipartisan agriculture, broadband, and drought relief bill to help Minnesota farmers and families. The legislation expands broadband funding, provides relief to farmers still struggling from the aftereffects of last year’s historic drought, and addresses urgent concerns in our agriculture sector, including the ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) crisis.

Included in the bill is language that builds on a grant program previously authored by Senator Andrew Lang (R-Olivia), which passed last Session as a means to support livestock processing issues. Today’s bill includes further investments in meat cutting and butchery training programs; money to start, modernize or expand meat, poultry, dairy, and egg processing facilities; and grants for training high school students and employees of small processors.

“This bill strikes a balance between supporting farmers and ensuring Minnesotans have access to reliable internet,” said Lang. “The agriculture industry has faced numerous struggles throughout the last few years, and this bill addresses their challenges by making smart investments that help families and farmers across the State. I’m especially glad to see language included that expands the modernization and expansion of processing facilities, which will help alleviate processing issues and shortages faced in the industry. We also investing key funding into broadband expansion, ensuring Minnesotans across the state can connect in a modern economy.”

The bill appropriates $8.1 million in drought relief grants for livestock and specialty crop farmers to help them recover from last year’s drought. Furthermore, the bill includes $2.5 million to the Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Revolving Loan account to help Minnesota farmers, with relief prioritized for those affected by drought.

Minnesota farmers are also facing animal disease threats from African Swine Fever (ASF) to the bird flu outbreak. To prevent an agricultural disaster, this package includes $1.5 million for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) at the University of Minnesota to purchase equipment to test for avian influenza, African Swine Fever, chronic wasting disease (CWD), and other animal diseases. The bill also includes $3 million for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Emergency Account with funding going to animal disease testing and response. This is in addition to the $1 million in funding the legislature already provided to the account this session, however it has been expended due to the avian influenza outbreak.

Additionally, the legislation directs over $210 million, the bulk of which comes from federal funds, to improve Minnesota broadband access across the state. This is in addition to the $70 million in federal funds that the legislature directed last session. This includes up to $30 million for the Lower Population Density Pilot Program to connect hard to reach unserved areas, up to $15 million for the Line Extension Program to connect difficult to reach individual homes, up to $15 million for updated broadband mapping, and the remaining funds to the successful Border-to-Border Broadband grant program.

The bill was passed by the House late Saturday night and by the Senate on Sunday. The legislation now awaits Governor Walz’s signature to become law.

With unanimous support, the Minnesota Senate today passed legislation that makes critical investments into Veteran services across the state. This bill includes provisions that provide post-service resources, expand housing options, and fund enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses. The sole focus of this bill is to meet the needs of Veterans across Minnesota.

“I’m very happy we were able to quickly find bipartisan agreement on this important bill to support our veterans and their families,” Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller said. “Every veteran has my heartfelt and sincere appreciation for their service and sacrifice.”

Notably, this bill includes funding for upgrades and completion of the three new veterans homes across the state. Last year, homes in Bemidji, Preston, and Montevideo secured federal funding necessary to complete construction. Funding in this bill serves as the final capstone to make these homes operational by providing upgrades and improvements to strengthen the structures, and medical equipment and internal fixtures needed to make the homes operational.

To compete with the modern workforce, the bill also provides necessary funding for an enlistment and re-enlistment bonus program, which will serve as an incentive for retaining and recruiting servicemembers.

“This bill supports all our brave men and women and their families that have sacrificed so much to serve our country and state, and today’s legislation addresses their needs,” said Senator Andrew Lang (R-Olivia), Chair of the Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee. “We did the important work of securing federal funds to get three new veterans homes completed, and now it’s time to step up and make sure those homes are built to last so that Veterans may receive the best care possible in their post-service years. We want all Veterans to have expanded access to housing options, which is why today’s bill also incentivizes landlords to rent to Veterans and funds the important work of combatting Veteran homelessness.”

The bill includes language to honor the historical tradition of providing bonuses to services members that served during global conflicts. With the end of the Global War on Terror last year, the bill allocates $24 million for post-war bonuses to Minnesota Veterans that served after September 11, 2001.

“Minnesota has a time-honored tradition of providing post-service bonuses to the Veterans that served in major conflicts. By providing these bonuses, we are thanking those that stepped up to fight for freedom. No amount of financial compensation will be thanks enough for all they did during these wars and conflicts, but including these bonuses in this bill is a start,” said Lang.

With inflation reaching its highest point in nearly 40 years, working Minnesotans are being pressured more every day by soaring prices for gas, groceries, and energy. Senate Republicans today made good on an early session promise to give back Minnesota’s historic $9 billion budget surplus with the largest permanent tax cut in state history.

The Senate today passed a landmark tax cut bill that reduces the first-tier tax rate for all filers from 5.35% to 2.80%, and fully eliminates the state income tax on all Social Security benefits. The bill provides taxpayers with a staggering $8.43 billion in relief over the next three years.

“Working families have waited long enough for tax relief—our state is still one of the highest taxed states in the country, and our staggering $9 billion surplus is proof that folks have been over-taxed for far too long. It’s time for us to provide meaningful and permanent tax relief, and it’s time for us to eliminate the antiquated social security income tax. Today, we’re putting Minnesotans first by providing economic relief that keeps more money in taxpayers’ pockets,” said Senator Andrew Lang (R-Olivia).

Minnesota’s lowest tax bracket is higher than the highest tax bracket in 24 other states. Over 2.4 million filers would benefit from the historic Republican tax rate cut, with an average savings of $759. A typical family making $100,000 would see a savings of $1,064.

Minnesota is one of just 13 states that tax Social Security benefits. Impacting taxpayers with just $25,000 in income, the Social Security Income tax hits more than 407,000 Minnesota filers. None of the states that border us — Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and South Dakota — tax Social Security income. Eliminating the Social Security tax would put $1.6 billion back into the hands of beneficiaries, with an average benefit of $1,254.

Republicans passed billions in tax cuts in the last five years, stopped Gov. Walz’s massive tax increases, and passed the first income rate tax cuts in 20 years. Today’s bill passage signals an effort to continue meaningful and permanent tax relief.