Minn. agriculture omnibus bill laid over after committee debate over disease funding, broadband rules

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The House Ways and Means Committee on March 17 laid over House File 1704, the agriculture omnibus bill, after members debated funding priorities for livestock disease preparedness, broadband deployment rules tied to worker safety and changes to programs serving small and urban farmers.

Representative Anderson, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee the measure adds about $17 million in base funding for agricultural programs and “fully fund[s] the Board of Animal Health,” citing concern about highly pathogenic avian influenza. Anderson said the bill replenishes the ag emergency fund and adds roughly $1.5 million to that account after it fell to “about 1,200,000” most recently. The bill also funds the Department of Agriculture, supports the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), and includes funding for broadband deployment and incentives to build E15 fueling infrastructure.

The debate reflected several fault lines. Members across the aisle and some…