The deer hunting season opener is upon us and progressive Minnesota State Representative Jamie Becker-Finn is fighting to make it a successful season. 

Becker-Finn grew up hunting, fishing, and harvesting wild rice with her family. She understands how important these traditions are to Minnesotan families throughout the state, and that’s why she is working proactively to address threats like chronic wasting disease (CWD). Earlier in the year, she sponsored several bills that target deer farms to try to stop the disease from spreading from captive to wild deer. Becker-Finn introduced the “Adopt a Dumpster” program, which benefits our Minnesotan hunters and would help them safely dispose of carcasses. Her “Adopt a Dumpster” program would lower the rate of spreading prions that cause CWD. Another bill that Becker-Finn proposed would give the University of Minnesota $1.8 million to develop faster and more sensitive diagnostic tests that farms and regulators could use on live deer and hunters could use to make sure their venison is safe to eat.

Minnesota has around 500,000 deer hunters. Protecting our hunters and their families is exactly what Becker-Finn, a lifelong deer hunter herself, is doing. She is all hands on deck when it comes to making sure that deer hunting season is as safe and successful as can be, now and in the future.