Red River Basin flood hazard mitigation projects funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by John Burkel and 1 co-sponsor

The bill would authorize issuing bonds and appropriating state funds to finance Red River Basin flood hazard mitigation projects.

Introduction and first reading, referred to Capital Investment

#bonds #watersheddistricts

Summary of HF 692 (Red River Basin flood hazard mitigation funding)

Overview
- Bill number and title: HF 692, Red River Basin flood hazard mitigation projects funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
- Primary purpose: To authorize funding and bond issuance for flood hazard mitigation projects in the Red River Basin and to appropriate state money to support those projects.
- Status: Introduced February 28, 2025 and referred to Capital Investment; subsequently moved through committee activity in March 2025, but the bill was withdrawn on March 31, 2025.
- Sponsor: Representative Rinker (primary).
- Related bill: SF 1376 (companion in the Senate).

What the bill aims to do
- The bill would provide a funding mechanism (including bond authorization) to support flood hazard mitigation projects in the Red River Basin.
- It would authorize the sale of bonds and specify that the resulting debt service and related obligations would be supported by appropriate state funds (subject to Minnesota bonding laws and debt limits).
- It would create or designate a funding stream to finance designated flood mitigation projects and would include provisions for appropriation of money to carry out the identified projects.
- The bill is intended to facilitate coordinated flood risk reduction in the Red River Basin through capital investments.

Who would be affected
- Local governments, watershed districts, and communities located in the Red River Basin that would benefit from flood hazard mitigation investments.
- State agencies responsible for bonding, debt management, and capital investment programs (subject to the usual statutory debt limits and bonding processes).
- Taxpayers, as debt service for bonds would be funded from state resources over time.

Key provisions and details (high level)
- Bonding authorization: The bill would authorize the issuance of bonds to fund the specified flood mitigation projects.
- Appropriations: It would appropriate state funds to support project costs, debt service, and related program administration.
- Project eligibility and oversight: The bill would establish criteria and oversight mechanisms for selecting and administering eligible flood hazard mitigation projects (exact criteria are not provided in the available text).
- Reporting: Likely would require reporting on project progress, bond issuance, and debt service, though specific reporting requirements are not itemized in the provided materials.

Procedural and timeline notes
- Introduction and first reading: February 28, 2025; referred to Capital Investment.
- Committee activity: Subcommittee and committee proceedings occurred in early to mid-March 2025, with favorable committee action and passage recommendations.
- Renumbering/withdrawal: The bill was renumbered as HF 885 on March 7, 2025, and ultimately withdrawn on March 31, 2025.
- Related actions: Companion bill in the Senate is SF 1376.

Important caveat
- The Version Content provided with HF 692 includes text unrelated to flood mitigation (a section concerning disabled veterans and deer hunting licenses). That content does not reflect the bill’s flood hazard provisions and appears to be an erroneous insertion. The summary above reflects the bill’s stated title and legislative actions, not the unrelated inserted text.