Vetoed by Governor Mark Dayton

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with Senate amendments and pass a bill that appropriates funds for agricultural policies.

Highlights:

• Authorizes local lenders to issue loans only for projects that are approved and certified by the local government unit as eligible for financing under the Environmental Protection Agency or other applicable guidelines (Sec. 3).

• Prohibits loans to a project over $200,000 (Sec. 3).

• Defines “saltwater aquatic farm” as a facility used for saltwater aquaculture including but not limited to artificial ponds, vats, tanks, and raceways (Sec. 3).

• Requires a transportation permit prior to any transportation of saltwater aquatic life (Sec. 3).

• Requires an application for a transportation permit to be approved by the commissioner of agriculture and to be accompanied by satisfactory evidence that the shipment is free of any nonindigenous species of animal other than the saltwater aquatic species (Sec. 3).

• Requires the commissioner to approve or deny the transportation permit application with 14 days of the submission of the completed application (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that a transportation permit is not required to transport saltwater aquatic species if processed for use as food (Sec. 8).

• Requires a person applying for a non-commercial applicator license to pay a fee of $50 (Sec. 9).

• Requires all persons with a license to be classified into a category of food handlers, including retail food handlers, wholesale food handlers, wholesale food processors, custom exempt food handlers, and a food broker (Sec. 12).

• Requires all eggs sold or offered for sale at retail to be candled, graded, clearly labeled, and held at a temperature no higher than 45 degrees Fahrenheit (Sec. 14).

• Requires that a milk hauler may only pick up milk from farms with a bulk tank that is in proper working order and that the milk has been stored for less than 72 hours (Sec. 15).

• Requires any cheese that has been made from unpasteurized milk to be labeled with a statement that the cheese is more than 60 days of age (Sec. 17).

Full Bill Text