HF 1999 (Hawj) is the Omnibus bill for Minnesota’s dedicated Clean Water, Land, and Legacy funding, providing appropriations for the Outdoor Heritage Fund, the Clean Water Fund, the Parks and Trails Fund, and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Since voter approval in 2008, the Legacy Amendment has allowed the state to use a small state sales tax increase to fund environmental protection and cultural enhancement. This year’s Legacy Omnibus Bill, as amended by conference committee, provides $171,790,000 for the Outdoor Heritage Fund, funding prairie, forest, wetland, and habitat conservation; $318,396,000 for the Clean Water Fund (over two years), funding lake, river, stream, and groundwater protection; and $136,610,000 for the Parks and Trails Fund (over two years), funding regional and statewide parks and trails support. The bill also includes goal language to achieve the designated uses of impaired state waters by 2050.
