Another environmental measure was passed by the Minnesota House: reauthoring a constitutional amendment allocating 40% of state lottery proceeds to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).
As one House staffer tweeted:
Rep @AthenaHollins presents a proposal to renew the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund - which has provided over $875 million in dedicated funds to protect our air, water, land, and wildlife 🌎💨💧🐾 https://t.co/tN1I2LRvKJ pic.twitter.com/DJmT3DvuV4
— Scotland Kraker (@KrakerScotland) May 11, 2023
At Session Daily, Margaret Stevens reports in House OKs bill asking voters to reauthorize lottery proceeds benefiting environmental trust fund:
Minnesotans could be asked if they want to reauthorize a constitutional amendment allocating 40% of state lottery proceeds to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.
Sponsored by Rep. Athena Hollins (DFL-St. Paul), HF1900 was passed 87-41 by the House Thursday and sent to the Senate.
Per the bill, voters would see the following question on the 2024 ballot: "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to protect drinking water sources and the water quality of lakes, rivers, and streams; conserve wildlife habitat and natural areas; improve air quality; and expand access to parks and trails by extending the transfer of proceeds from the state-operated lottery to the environment and natural resources trust fund, and to dedicate the proceeds for these purposes?”
Current authorization is scheduled to expire in 2025; the extension would move that to 2050.
Since voters first approved the fund in 1988, a percentage of lottery proceeds have gone toward the environment – a chief reason the loon is on the lottery’s logo, Hollins told the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee May 5.
Since 1991, about $700 million has funded 1,700 projects as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources
The goal is to safeguard long-term funding for the environment against short-term thinking, said Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL-Mpls). She said trust fund dollars have been used to protect wetlands, lakes, forests, prairies and natural areas. “They protect our ability to use and enjoy the great outdoors.”
About $80 million from the trust fund is now distributed per biennium, but the bill would increase the allowable spending from 5.5% to 7% of the fund’s value.
The bill would also create a community grant program funded with 1.5% of the trust fund’s value — estimated at more than $20 million. The goal is to open trust fund dollars to organizations that don’t have resources to navigate the current grant process. Projects in areas that have been traditionally overburdened or underserved would be given priority.
Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska) successfully offered an amendment to clarify there wouldn’t be subgrants and unsuccessfully offered an amendment that would specify programs must provide measurable positive outcomes for the environment.
Here's the Minnesota House Information Services YouTube of the floor debate:
Minnesota House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Chair Rick Hansen, DFL--S. St. Paul issued a statement lauding the passage:
Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed HF 1900, legislation to renew and modify the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, on a vote of 87-41. The legislation proposes a constitutional amendment to be on the ballot in the 2024 general election that would extend the dedication of lottery proceeds to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) through December 31, 2050.
Representative Rick Hansen (DFL – South St. Paul), chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, co-authored the legislation and released the following statement:
“Whether it’s funding cutting-edge research at the U of M, starting programs to get underserved communities outdoors, or funding the DNR’s conservation efforts, the ENRTF is a critical piece of our work protecting the environment,” said Rep. Hansen. “Minnesotans recognize the value of protecting, preserving, and enhancing our water, air, soil, and wildlife and that is why I am proud to vote to reauthorize the fund.”
If the constitutional amendment passes, HF 1900 increases the amount of the ENRTF available for the Legislature to appropriate from 5.5% to 7%. The bill will also establish a new Community Grants Advisory Council to oversee 1.5% of the fund and provide recommendations to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on the administration of the grant program for communities that are overburdened or underserved. It also explicitly states ENRTF funds would not be available to pay for bonds or wastewater facilities in response to 2018 attempts to raid the trust fund to pay for wastewater infrastructure.
The ENRTF is a constitutionally dedicated fund that may be spent only on the “protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.” The fund was created in 1988 when 77% of Minnesotan voters approved an amendment to the constitution to create long-term, consistent funding for the environment and natural resources. 40% of the net proceeds from the state lottery go into the fund. Over the past 30 years, the ENRTF has provided over $875 million to nearly 1,800 projects around the state.
Related posts
- ENRTF bill up for House floor vote today; Senate version escapes committee after second chance
- Will ENRTF appropriation extensions bill find new life in Senate Environment committee?
- MN House Enviro & Natural Resources committee approves $71M in ENRTF projects
- Ecklund's HF219 passed out of MN House Environment committee on bipartisan 14-5 vote
- [VIDEO] $1 billion investment: Minnesota House Climate Action Caucus unveils 2022 proposals
Logo: The ENRTF logo.
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