Legacy Finance

This bill directs approximately $189 million from Minnesota's outdoor heritage fund to support conservation projects for prairies and wildlife habitats over the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years. The funding is allocated to specific initiatives including the RIM Grasslands Reserve, wildlife management area acquisitions, and land purchases for the Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. Money will be distributed to state agencies and partner organizations like Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and The Nature Conservancy to acquire land, establish conservation easements, and restore native habitats. The bill prioritizes acquiring lands eligible for the native prairie bank or those adjacent to protected prairie areas, with some funds designated for monitoring and enforcement.

HF 3786 clarifies which children's museums can receive competitive grants from Minnesota's arts and cultural heritage fund. It requires that only museums meeting the IRS's A52 tax-exempt classification (or a future equivalent) qualify for these grants. This directly affects children's museums seeking funding under the current grant program. The bill amends Minnesota law to specify this eligibility standard, ensuring grants are awarded only to qualifying institutions.

This bill allocates $1.5 million from the arts and cultural heritage fund to the City of Minneapolis to create a public memorial honoring Renée Good and Alex Pretti. The memorial will feature statues, educational exhibits, and a space for community reflection, focusing on their deaths and the broader issues of civil rights and immigration enforcement. The project requires a collaborative planning process involving local residents, civil rights groups, artists, and historians, with oversight provided by a partnership including city officials and state legislators. While the state provides the initial funding, the city is permitted to seek additional private donations and partnerships to cover design, programming, and long-term maintenance costs.

This bill allocates $500,000 from the arts and cultural heritage fund in fiscal year 2027 to support youth art and culture programs in the Capitol area. The money will be given to the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board, which is responsible for managing these specific initiatives. The legislation directly affects young people in the capital city by providing funding for their creative projects and cultural activities.

This bill allocates $5.5 million from the Clean Water Fund to support a demonstration project in Lyon County aimed at treating landfill leachate. The funds will be used to construct a system that removes contaminants such as PFAS, chloride, and other pollutants from groundwater near the Lyon County Regional Landfill. This one-time appropriation is intended to protect local water supplies by testing a new method for cleaning contaminated water before it enters the environment. The legislation directly affects the Pollution Control Agency, which will administer the grant, and the residents of Lyon County who rely on the region's groundwater.