Minnesota lawmakers consider bipartisan lake weed removal safety bill after deaths of 2 young men
After two young men drowned while working their summer jobs removing weeds from lakes, the Minnesota Legislature is considering new safety rules to prevent those tragedies from happening again.
The proposal, which has bipartisan backing and the support of the victims' families, would require an employee whose work involves scuba diving equipment to get a scuba diver certificate — which includes hours of training — before he or she can perform that job.
It would also block any business with violations from getting a permit and mandate the use of certain safety devices.
For the Aune and Anderson families, their sons died two years apart working similar jobs at different companies to remove underwater weeds that are a pesky problem for lake enthusiasts.
Brady Aune and Joe Anderson both drowned on the clock, and their parents told lawmakers Tuesday that they were not properly trained on scuba diving to remove those weeds and had inadequate equipment.
The Minnesota division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined both companies for violations.
"We strongly feel — both the Aune families and ours — that if Joe and Brady had had training and had a [buoyancy control device], we wouldn't be here today," said David Anderson, father of Joe Anderson, who died in May 2024. "Please, please pass this bill to prevent this living hell from occurring again to another family."
In both cases, OSHA investigators determined that employees weren't trained in CPR. Brady Aune's mother, Dina Aune, reiterated that to the House panel that discussed the bill Tuesday.
Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, suggested lawmakers tweak it to include that requirement, too.
"We, his family and friends, are broken and forever incomplete," Dina Aune said. "He really was a wonderful son, brother and friend. Our lives have truly become a prison sentence that we must try and get through."
Under the legislation, businesses also need to provide documentation to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry that a third-party safety professional completed an on-site hazard survey, observing the work using scuba diving equipment.
The bill advanced out of the House workforce committee to another panel where it will get further vetting. There are bipartisan authors on both the House and Senate versions.
It's named the "Brady Aune and Joseph Anderson Safety Act" for the two victims.
