Senator Aric Putnam

08/26/2026

It’s nice to be able to continue your work and see it develop. Today, we took the next step in establishing the Office of the Inspector General to protect our tax dollars, prosecute fraudsters, and keep government accountable.

08/25/2026

Tomorrow the commission tasked with building the new Minnesota Office of Inspector General meets. Let’s rewind a bit first, how did this bill become law?

08/21/2026

Since 1988, we’ve celebrated National Senior Citizen Day every August 21st — but we all know our seniors deserve stability and dignity in their lives not just today, but every day.

That means making sure seniors can afford to stay in their homes, put food on the table, and have the stability and security they need to stay in the communities they call home. On this National Senior Citizen Day, I’m proud of the work we’ve done to lower costs and strengthen the resources seniors rely on so folks can age with dignity and thrive in Minnesota.

08/13/2026

Grateful to tour the U of Mn/ CentraCare Medical school with Majority Leader Murphy. It’s good to see how the hard work we did in the Senate made something real, something that will help people.

07/31/2026

As usual, the Greater St Cloud community showed up today. So many volunteered to help the mighty Claire Richards and the ISD 742 team pack school supplies so all our kids can be ready for school this year.

07/30/2026

I'm pretty proud of this one. A couple years ago I leveraged a chunk of our budget surplus to get a bunch of federal money to help create this project with BIOMADE. They use the stuff we grow to replace our dependence on foreign and synthetic products. They can make paint out of algae and rubber from dandelions. They will also make a bunch of good, high paying jobs for Minnesotans. Personally, it's cool to see your work bear fruit (speaking of, I wouldn't be surprised if they could build a house out of an apple), but this is a big win for Minnesota as a whole.

You might not have heard of bioindustrial manufacturing, but it's t...

07/27/2026

Two/three weeks ago I went to the Red River Valley for a couple days with my friend Senator Rob Kupec . Spent some time in my friend Austen's shed talking with the MN Wheat Grower's Association. We also hung out at the Morris Research Center and heard about some of their projects, including their agrivoltaics program that enables cattle to graze under elevated solar panels. Spent some time with sugar beet farmers and our dearest friend, Rachel. Then stopped by Brad and Suzanne's farm with Paul to hear about the struggles of dairy farmers and the robots that help. Good times, good learning, good friends.

07/27/2026

I've been very busy this summer, but last week I got to spend some time on farms with friends again. We heard about creative and smart approaches to nutrient management, rotational grazing, and the challenges facing our oat farmers. Thanks to Laura and the Land Stewardship Project for facilitating the conversations and our pal Torrey Westrom for showing up.

07/21/2026

Celebrating another accomplishment in our local community (really local, like my house): Dr. Laurie Putnam receives the NSPRA 2026 Superintendents to Watch Award in a ceremony at the national conference in New Orleans.

07/15/2026

I’ve been appointed to the Legislative Inspector General Advisory Commission, which is the next step in getting the Office of Inspector General built right. Accountability doesn't stop at passing the bill. I'm glad to keep pushing this important work forward for Minnesota.