The Minnesota bill supporting the Foundation's request for an International Joint Commission Reference for Lake of the Woods water quality passed committee hearings and second reading in the Minnesota House of Representatives on March 23. 

Introduced in late January by Minnesota Representative David Olin, with a companion Senate bill sponsored by Minnesota Senator Leroy Stumpf, the bill would indicate State consensus that the US Government seek an IJC Reference jointly with Canada for Lake of the Woods to ensure complementary and coordinated efforts basin-wide, analogous to the position recently taken by Ontario and Manitoba.