1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to natural resources; appropriating money to provide state incentives for 
1.3 	conservation reserve program.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. APPROPRIATION; CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM STATE 
1.6 	INCENTIVES.
 1.7 	$....... in fiscal year 2020 and $....... in fiscal year 2021 are appropriated from the general 
1.8 	fund to the Board of Water and Soil Resources to provide onetime state incentive payments 
1.9 	to enrollees in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and its derivative programs 
1.10 	available in Minnesota. The board may establish payment rates based on land valuation and 
1.11 	on environmental benefit criteria, including but not limited to reducing nutrients in surface 
1.12 	water or groundwater, protecting drinking water, enhancing soil health, and enhancing 
1.13 	pollinator and wildlife habitat. The board may use state funds to implement the program 
1.14 	and to provide technical assistance to landowners or their agents to fulfill enrollment and 
1.15 	contract provisions. The board must consult with the commissioners of agriculture, health, 
1.16 	natural resources, and the Pollution Control Agency and the United States Department of 
1.17 	Agriculture in establishing program criteria. Criteria and payment rates established under 
1.18 	this section are not subject to the rulemaking provisions of Minnesota Statutes, chapter 14, 
1.19 	and Minnesota Statutes, section 14.386, does not apply. This is a onetime appropriation and 
1.20 	is available until June 30, 2023.