1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to agriculture; establishing a pollinator investment grant program; 
1.3 	appropriating money;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
1.4 	chapter 17.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [17.119] POLLINATOR INVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. The commissioner may award a pollinator 
1.8 	investment grant to a person who implements best management practices to protect wild 
1.9 	and managed insect pollinators in this state equal to ten percent of the first $....... of 
1.10 	qualifying expenditures, provided the person makes qualifying expenditures of at least 
1.11 	$....... The commissioner may award multiple pollinator investment grants to a person 
1.12 	over the life of the program as long as the cumulative amount does not exceed $.......
1.13 		Subd. 2.Definitions. (a) For the purposes of this section, the terms defined in this 
1.14 	subdivision have the meanings given them.
1.15 	(b) "Pollinator" means an insect that pollinates flowers.
1.16 	(c) "Qualified expenditures" means the amount spent for:
1.17 	(1) adding native flowering plants as cover crops or prairie strips to provide forage 
1.18 	for pollinators;
1.19 	(2) renovating a pasture system by adding native flowering plants throughout the 
1.20 	growing season or overseeding a pasture with high-diversity native forb or native or 
1.21 	domestic legume mixtures;
1.22 	(3) interseeding legumes with corn or soybean;
1.23 	(4) planting or seeding riparian and wetland areas with perennial cover;
1.24 	(5) planting flowering plants in vegetative buffer strips; 
2.1 	(6) planting a living snow fence; or
2.2 	(7) increasing plant diversity in nonproductive areas by adding native flowering 
2.3 	plants, trees, or shrubs or by introducing pollinator-friendly plant species into existing 
2.4 	strands of grasses.
2.5 		Subd. 3.Eligibility. (a) To be eligible for a pollinator investment grant, a person 
2.6 	must:
2.7 	(1) be a resident of Minnesota or an entity specifically defined in section 500.24, 
2.8 	subdivision 2, that is eligible to own farmland and operate a farm in this state under 
2.9 	section 500.24;
2.10 	(2) be the principal operator of the farm; and
2.11 	(3) apply to the commissioner on forms prescribed by the commissioner including a 
2.12 	statement of the qualifying expenditures made during the qualifying period along with any 
2.13 	proof or other documentation the commissioner may require.
2.14 	(b) The $....... maximum grant applies at the entity level for partnerships, S 
2.15 	corporations, C corporations, trusts, and estates as well as at the individual level. In the 
2.16 	case of married individuals, the grant is limited to $....... for a married couple.

2.17 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.18 	$....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2017 from the general fund to the commissioner 
2.19 	of agriculture for the pollinator investment grant program under Minnesota Statutes, 
2.20 	section 17.119.