To the Editor:

By a vote of 132-0, the Minnesota House of Representatives has approved legislation that brings disaster relief funding to southern Minnesota communities devastated by heavy rains and flooding last June. I supported the measure.

Our towns and counties have been waiting for us to act on this proposal, so I’m pleased we approved this legislation quickly and can give them the disaster relief they have been seeking.

A special natural disaster fund was created last session in order to avoid calling a special session each time a flood or tornado occurred in Minnesota. Without financial backing from the state, FEMA funds cannot be accessed.

But last June’s damage was so widespread and severe that the fund was depleted, leaving local governments to pay the bill. In all, 47 counties, including Jackson, Martin, Watonwan and Faribault, were named in the federal disaster declaration.

The package includes $13 million in a Federal Emergency Management Agency match, as well as smaller appropriations for disaster spending by the Department of Transportation ($3 million) and the Board of Water and Soil Resources ($2.5 million).

The disaster relief bill now heads to Gov. Mark Dayton for his signature.

State Rep. Bob Gunther,

R-Fairmont