Sen. Rob Kupec

Clay County Commission

Dan Haglund 

Sen. Rob Kupec delivered an eclectic and hopeful legislative update for the Clay County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday in Moorhead.

“I’ve got a few things I’m working on,” said Kupec, DFL-Moorhead. “We’ve got some legislation on ag land preservation … making sure prime ag land isn’t taken up by solar (panel farms).”

Kupec added that another new law finding some traction is the Grain Indemnity Fund (GIF) on the agriculture side, which he said is a way to cover farmers when their grain is in storage.

The 2023 Legislature established the $10 million GIF to protect farmers from financial losses when state-licensed grain buyers or warehouses become insolvent. It essentially covers unpaid grain sales.

“We’ve used it for the first time this year,” Kupec said. “There was a company out of Omaha (Neb.) that went bankrupt. It’s working fine, we have plenty of money to cover it.”

He is hopeful that 2026 will be a bonding year, with local bonding items like continued flood mitigation and the non-secure Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF) for youth and young adults in Moorhead being addressed within it. The Rural Water District in northern Clay County will also have additional funding on the wish list.

Kupec noted that the process of working out the dollars vs. water projects “has been awful, it’s terrible, it’s convoluted.” Bonding monies would ease issue up there, helping different areas pool their resources.

On a totally different subject, Kupec said both Moorhead and Dilworth have expressed interest in forming “social districts.” That means in identified areas, there would be public alcohol-allowed zones outdoors during certain times of the year. Two cities, Anoka and Shakopee have successfully tried this concept, Kupec said.

Kupec said there has also been chatter about chiropractic care within the state, but Gov. Walz was “very insistent last year” that Medicare and Medicaid funding for this type of care. Kupec said cutting it at the governor’s desk saved a bit of money, but in the end he thinks it saves no money because those people are still entitled to care – and they’re going to someplace else to get that care.

“Certainly a lot of our local chiropractors are pretty upset about this,” Kupec said.

He said he has offered himself as the lead offer in returning chiropractic coverage to the Medicare and Medicaid state coverage offerings. Kupec said the IT Modernization grants were slated for last year but has not been taken up yet at the state level.

A sustainable aviation fuel tax credit needs to be extended, Kupec said, to make sure that the $7 billion fuel plant planned for southeast Moorhead is still on track.

“That will not only be a huge benefit of jobs, but the property tax on the plant will certainly be a huge bonus to the county, the city, the school district.,” Kupec said.

Board Chair Jenny Mongeau, Dist. 3, extended her thanks on behalf of the board to Kupec.

“Thanks for connecting us with your colleagues, as we know it takes more than just one senator to get things done. You’ve really helped us to branch out across the aisle as well,” Mongeau said.

Three landowners spoke individually to the board at the beginning of the meeting regarding a water issue with the state Department of Natural Resources, and Kupec said he was unaware of the issue as no one had contacted his office about it. He said a local land assessment might be a good idea to get a better understanding of a commonly complicated problem.

Kupec was first elected to the Senate in 2022, and currently serves as vice chairman of the Agricultural, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development Committee. He also serves on the Health and Human Services, Labor and Higher Education committees.

Kupec’s District 4 encompasses a majority portion of Clay County, with an estimated 85,214 total residents within the political region.