[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6613071,"mediaKeyId","2878245-13d840b3774eb5f4f03a8b4184449bd2","parentId",2878245,"title","Agriculture committee amends and advances Department of Agriculture budget bill, adopts cottage-food, milk-licensing and fee provisions","audioSeconds",3042,"startMs",3742000,"endMs",6784000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878245-13d840b3774eb5f4f03a8b4184449bd2&start=3742&end=6784","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878245-13d840b3774eb5f4f03a8b4184449bd2/thumbnail_3742000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6613071/Minnesota/Agriculture-committee-amends-and-advances-Department-of-Agriculture-budget-bill-adopts-cottage-food-milk-licensing-and-fee-provisions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613071-ed241acc9dcb9974503ac2559e60815e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775775845&Signature=a0O6tfwcZAGCyBXg-0GjPbIIw25tkHR2JWbirX5uSU3SJ2LWfiUBLlUt17NFSi7zqm8mcNv3ifm9-9lfdl7jMLlLyewz5xb0m7kmEpW4zWITWPbxlBQ7lwkU8ALe4Otu~bp92Esw2ooUQhauxBk6ncwf3qo5vM3iJ6pWGUUJMyR7mcMIPn94MdLsB0WnH~nNTw5993SyvSestqUyLOkkXbzkjnDP0hwgYqD6gjbY9RNs3rpSbH-gAurD-BNv-ubczHRDLoPkGFJVsUdGxEMm8uCTZrcfUQ~-zagHoEPEltvd~j~vuDP1FTcghpIOEewV0UGzA0S5Vhw3PEkbUGB~oQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-04-04T17:55:40.873Z","article","The Minnesota Senate Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development on Monday considered Senate File 2458, a budget-establishment bill for the Department of Agriculture, the Board of Animal Health and the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI). After testimony from agency leaders and multiple amendment votes, the committee referred the amended bill to the Finance Committee and authorized staff to make technical edits.

Tom Peterson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, described the bill as including several of the governor's recommended items such as operating adjustments, funding for elk and wolf depredation compensation, meat-inspection work at MDA, farm safety and wellness programs, and other program investments. \"The inclusion of these programs help us do our day to day operations at the department better,\" Peterson said on the record.

Agency witnesses offered targeted testimony on changes in the bill. Andrea Bobble, deputy commissioner, and Catherine Simon, director of the Food and Feed Safety Division at MDA, explained a proposed restructuring of food-licensing categories to simplify multiple license classes into a single food-handler category with differentiated fee tiers by facility size and risk. The proposal would allow small licensees with gross annual food sales of $50,000 or less to operate up to three locations under one license and would add a $50 application fee (the department said that fee could be amended to be credited toward a first-year license if desired).

Proposed fee language drew questions and amendments. Senator Anderson moved amendments (A10 and A20) to remove certain fee increases and to delete article 6 (food-handler fee and related marketing language). Both amendments failed in committee after debate by members who cited concerns about raising costs for small operators and others who argued the changes were necessary to modernize licensing and fund program needs.

Members then addressed the cottage-food provisions. Senator Kupak offered an amendment (A27) that would create a single-tier registration for cottage-food producers with a flat $30 registration fee, permit limited LLC ownership, allow mailing of cottage-food products, and include an inflation adjustment to the gross-sales cap. Jennifer Caraview, vice president of the Minnesota Cottage Food Producers Association, testified she and her group supported the compromise, noting the new fee represents a modest cost of doing business and would simplify the licensing framework for producers.

The committee also adopted clarifying language (A26) to ensure the cottage-food exemption remains explicit and not inadvertently overridden by the new licensing structure.

Other adopted amendments included technical fixes (A18, A11, A12), funding-source adjustments for AURI (A19), biofuels and sustainable aviation fuel language changes (A29, A24), scaling-back a proposed fertilizer stewardship pilot into a study (A16), milk-purchasing/license clarifications that exempt small producers and purchases of one's own milk (A28), a prohibition on using grant funds for certain administrative salaries for a major food bank recipient (A13), and modifications to livestock investment grant percentages and related funding (A30 adopted after revision). A final motion by Senator Guston referred Senate File 2458, as amended, to the Committee on Finance and authorized staff to make technical corrections.

Votes at a glance: Senate File 2458 as amended — multiple amendments adopted by voice vote; A10 and A20 (fee deletions) were not adopted; bill referred to Finance Committee by voice vote with staff authorization for technical edits.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development - 04/04/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate committee advanced Senate File 2458 after receiving testimony from the Department of Agriculture and adopting multiple amendments including changes to food licensing, cottage-food rules and milk-purchasing clarifications.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6613076,"Committee adopts subcommittee report on veterans and military budgets and refers bill to finance",368,3357000,3725000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878245-13d840b3774eb5f4f03a8b4184449bd2&start=3357&end=3725","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878245-13d840b3774eb5f4f03a8b4184449bd2/thumbnail_3357000.jpg","/articles/6613076/Minnesota/Committee-adopts-subcommittee-report-on-veterans-and-military-budgets-and-refers-bill-to-finance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613076-c86747583e704aae84d2ed60b4dfefda/orig.mp4?Expires=1775775845&Signature=cWvCoGwMQeZF8Yg2kSTLi5u4Ec0MWE3HqBeIw4DzpppxAb8~vYbrrGxDjKlGjUOibvOmTor9JNOVzl2V78QGV5FeCcgbjR6yugUSHbSQYOUWkQ-MDCOq8vxLq-73FoNgNVjismKnDc83bhVtOREQlAW93hU8e1X6sXaPWX6rqVpZMKigoWWrfCPvPSlH7xq5-i8j53aceMG19PMMvdiwbAPU3NtYMMStxc6AwLVoDLBoKL04d-rTy9WUc1dSatbHVwabReJ4dpIUc6ft7yurmz4ASfVV5gByKa4qEgsawIGd5m2i~QXLVrZn0mLTRip0eraMKzPPIEhq9720BVtelw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Minnesota Senate Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development adopted the subcommittee report on Senate File 1959 and referred the bill to the Finance Committee after discussion of accreditation and data-disclosure language affecting veteran legal services.

Senator Kupak, who presented the bill, summarized recent changes including revised accreditation language written by Senator Howe and later tweaked by Senator Lang and others. Kupak said those revisions addressed attorney disclosure responsibilities and had eased reservations raised during earlier stages of the bill's progress.

Senator Westrom asked whether the bill's accreditation provisions are unique nationally and raised concerns about whether other states have taken identical approaches. A staff member, identified in the transcript as Mr. Pettis, said his office had not done a comprehensive review but believed Minnesota's approach was “somewhat unique” and that Wisconsin had adopted some related requirements.

Senator Anderson reported that Senator Howe appreciated two approved disclosure items but remained uncomfortable with other aspects of the accreditation language and said he would not vote for the amendment in its current form. Committee members said they would continue conversations to achieve broader agreement.

Senator Seaburger moved to refer Senate File 1959, as amended, to the Committee on Finance and to authorize staff to make technical changes; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and the bill was sent to the Finance Committee.

Votes at a glance: Senate File 1959 as amended — subcommittee report adopted; bill referred to the Committee on Finance. The transcript records voice votes and committee direction to staff to make technical edits.","The committee adopted the veterans subcommittee's report on Senate File 1959, including revised accreditation and disclosure language for veteran services, and referred the bill to the Finance Committee with staff authorization for technical edits.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6613080,"Senate committee advances bill setting broadband worker training standards, delays enforcement date",766,2593000,3359000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2878245-13d840b3774eb5f4f03a8b4184449bd2&start=2593&end=3359","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2878245-13d840b3774eb5f4f03a8b4184449bd2/thumbnail_2593000.jpg","/articles/6613080/Minnesota/Senate-committee-advances-bill-setting-broadband-worker-training-standards-delays-enforcement-date","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6613080-036cfb7101ae1fae99054136fb4e815a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775775845&Signature=UHqvqRkgw7fciR7KY1sZBO0rCeGtOzwy9Wos3rQNEg6eyXk5SFFLchO-iMJT4PoXlQARrb3dalqp~4GOMo-Rds1owiprQy1F19NBL3HGUYM2p3xzsjyThnEzu0AlucERkvtH55BZDHbGmWruY6oXNsnb8jiPOiHkAE7gFjtevFIunNibZwtEAVoRfXllpksRmV0VT9cAG76hFtF7c2VSn~C8NYSYiEdKeEbjaKKAm2EBIr4IO1tIonQtDUg-oD9Zc4StWgj0BoqEkbyCbiH5YoXLXw39~LKqlSAWSFa62gcVpT9-fpXLA10TBxMOcAriZ9SLrS3JSvbF4N9x9UL39g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Minnesota Senate Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development on Monday voted to pass Senate File 908, a bill that creates training and safety requirements for broadband and telecommunications field workers and moves the measure to the full Senate for further consideration.

Senator Kupak, author of the bill, told the committee the measure represents a negotiated compromise reached with labor and industry after multiple stakeholder meetings. “The main thing is we want to get broadband out into all of those places in Minnesota that need it,” Kupak said, adding the bill preserves safety training standards while recognizing some workers already hold relevant credentials.

Melissa Wolf, executive director of the Minnesota Cable Communications Association, testified in support and described the bill as the product of “many meetings and hours of stakeholder engagement and a true compromise” among cable providers, contractors and other industry partners. “Safety is and will always remain paramount for cable providers, contractors, and our other industry partners,” Wolf said.

Kevin Prentice, who testified on behalf of construction laborers, said labor supported the changes because the revised approach would address safety concerns while giving contractors clearer timelines and credit for prior training. “This allows the bill to do it in a better way than it would have if we go forward,” Prentice said, adding that contractors will need certainty about when training is required and that preparation work will continue ahead of the bill’s January 2026 implementation date.

Senators discussed elements of the compromise: reducing an on-site certified-worker requirement from two to one, extending the date before enforcement begins and allowing partial credit for recently completed safety modules such as confined-space training. Several senators emphasized the urgency of passing the measure quickly so construction and grant-funded broadband work are not disrupted in coming months.

Senator Westrom asked whether other states have comparable requirements; witnesses said Minnesota’s approach is believed to be among the first of its kind and that Wisconsin has adopted some related requirements but not an identical statewide standard. Committee members said that uncertainty about trainer availability was a key reason for moving the effective date to January 2026.

Senator Gustafson moved that Senate File 908 be passed and referred to the Senate floor; the committee approved the motion and the bill advanced to the full Senate.

Votes at a glance: Senate File 908 — passed by voice vote and referred to the Senate floor. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.","The Minnesota Senate committee voted to pass Senate File 908, a compromise bill that sets safety and training standards for broadband and telecommunications field crews, allows credit for prior training and delays the effective date to ease implementation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Agriculture committee amends and advances Department of Agriculture budget bill, adopts cottage-food, milk-licensing and fee provisions

Committee adopts subcommittee report on veterans and military budgets and refers bill to finance

Senate committee advances bill setting broadband worker training standards, delays enforcement date