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Dear neighbors,
This week, I’ve been grateful to welcome my colleagues to District 53B to learn more about the work that goes on in our district and our community’s needs.
On Wednesday, I toured the South St. Paul swimming pools with Mayor Francis, city administrator Garcia, and Rep. Fue Lee, our DFL leader on the Bonding Committee. Northview loses 12,000 gallons/day, and I was glad to take the opportunity to make the case for potential future state funding.
Yesterday, I welcomed legislators from across the metro to tour the Ramsey/Washington County Recycling Facility in Newport. We learned more about how state and local funding in waste innovation has created a model for organics separation for Minnesota and beyond.
I also spent time this week talking about a very important, though not very flashy topic-- PFAS-tainted sludge. Recently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report finding that the use of PFAS-tainted sludge as fertilizer raises cancer risk on farms.
Minnesota has been a leader in tackling the threats caused by PFAS “forever chemicals” and I’m committed to ensuring that Agribusiness isn’t able to hide the impact of PFAS from consumers. Consumers have a right to know what’s used to grow their food, and I spoke to the Star Tribune about my support for legislation that directed the MPCA to come up with a robust biosolids plan. You can read the full article here.
I’m looking forward to Flannel Fest 2025 in South St. Paul, which will have a full week of events for our community. The Fest kicks off this weekend with a Flapjacks and Flannel event at the Croatian Hall on Sunday the 19th from 9:00-11:30 am. I hope you can make it!
In years past I’ve been honored to attend South St. Paul’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day event, but unfortunately, this year’s event has been postponed to March due to the expected extreme cold on Monday. I’ll share the details of the rescheduled event as it gets closer.
Finally, this week the Office of the Legislative Auditor released its report on the Ignition Interlock Device Program, which you can read here. As co-chair of the Legislative Audit Commission, I will be reviewing the conclusions and recommendations of the report to ensure that the program is running as intended.
Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the year. You can reach me by email at [email protected] or call my office at 651-296-6828. You can follow my official State Representative Facebook page here.
Sincerely,
Rick Hansen
State Representative
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