Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Auri Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears AURI funding requests; House Files 857 and 38 held over
Summary
The committee received testimony from the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) and its supporters on modest budget increases; House File 857 (Representative Nelson) and House File 38 (Representative Gander) proposing increases were held over for further consideration.
Representative Nelson moved House File 857, a funding bill for the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI). Testimony from AURI leaders described the institute’s work converting raw agricultural commodities into higher‑value products and requested a modest budget increase to keep pace with rising operating costs.
Dan Sparks (director of government and community relations for AURI) and Shannon Schlicht (AURI executive director) told the committee the requested increase would help offset rising salaries, facility and rental costs, and allow the institute to continue technical assistance and commercialization support. Schlicht said AURI worked on more than 200 projects with Minnesota businesses in the prior year and cited about a 45:1 return on state investment in terms of new capital, sales and jobs created.
Nonpartisan fiscal staff (Mr. Savory) told the committee the bill would increase AURI’s base by $175,000 per fiscal year — $350,000 over the biennium — and that, because the proposed bill lacks one‑time language, the increase would carry into the following biennium.
Representative Gander separately moved House File 38, a bill matching the governor’s request (a lower dollar amount) for AURI. He said he supported the higher amount but moved the governor’s recommended marker as a fallback. The committee held both measures over for further consideration.
AURI and stakeholders emphasized the institute’s role in helping small businesses and producers turn commodities into value‑added products, and said that small investments in AURI leverage additional private capital.
Ending: House Files 857 and 38 were held over; committee members encouraged colleagues to review AURI materials and, where possible, tour AURI sites to observe projects and products.
