The Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus reports…

Senator Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake) joined Governor Tim Walz (DFL) as he signed into law, SF 1, the comprehensive agriculture, rural development, and affordable housing budget bill chief-authored by Westrom. The bipartisan budget legislation, a component of the overall state budget agreement, places an emphasis on rural broadband expansion, invests in affordable manufactured housing and home ownership, prioritizes value-added agriculture opportunities that directly impact farmers, and increases resources for farmer mental health services.

And the details on broadband…

Further, the bill funds the Minnesota Border-to-Border Rural Broadband expansion program at $40 million over the next two years million, a significant increase in the legislature’s appropriation over the last biennium.

“From health care, to education, to small businesses, broadband access is essential to our way of life in the twenty-first century,” added Westrom. “Communities that lack access to broadband cannot flourish. This significant investment addresses this issue head-on.”