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Editor’s Note: The Independent emailed questions to the candidates for Minnesota House 15A. Here are Brad Hennen’s answers.
Personal (please list occupation, education and family)
I raised pigs on a farm near Ghent for 25 years; for the last 15 years I have been in Ag sales, working primarily with other hog farmers. My wife Barb and I met at SDSU where I received a BS in Animal Science; we raised nine children together, the youngest graduating last May from Minneota. We are the proud grandparents to 16, including three sets of twins!
Summarize why you are running for office. What are your priorities?
My priority in St. Paul will be to help lower Minnesotans' cost of living.
I believe that one of the most significant forces driving costs higher in MN in everything from health care to child care to food and energy is the regulatory burden that every sector of our economy endures.
Our state dictates so many aspects of health care, for example, that it creates scarcity, reduces innovation, limits competition, and drives prices higher.
We cannot afford double digit inflation in health care year after year, and subsidies for consumers don't create supply. We must allow our families, communities, and businesses the freedom to be creative in solving the day to day, as well as long term challenges that they face.
What can be done to protect the state from fraud?
The best thing that we can do, in addition to prosecuting bad actors and clawing back the stolen funds, is to ensure that any person or organization that receives money from the state of Minnesota has a proven record of personal financial responsibility, and/or responsible management of their organization.
What can be done to support agriculture?
Agriculture in SW Minnesota needs to have the opportunity to capture opportunities that exist; we have some of the most productive, diverse individuals and families in the world.
Whether making projects easier to permit, preserving ag land for agricultural production while still retaining the freedom to profit from new opportunities, limiting eminent domain use, or helping prepare the next generation of the workforce, there are things that the state can do to improve the environment for growth in the Ag business sector.
Do you support making changes to the state's paid family and medical leave program?
Yes. I believe that the current version of the plan is too cumbersome for employees, too burdensome for smaller employers especially, and too inflexible regarding the relationship between the two.