St. Paul, MN - Today, the House Capital Investment Committee and the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee held a joint informational hearing on Minnesota’s transportation provisions within the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by President Biden last month.
The committees heard testimony from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Council, and the National Conference of State Legislators. No official action was taken during the hearing.
“The investments we’re seeing from the federal government are putting our state and country on the right track when it comes to addressing aging infrastructure, but these funds alone aren’t a fix-all solution,” said Rep. Fue Lee (DFL - Minneapolis) Chair of the House Capital Investment Committee. “As we get a clearer picture of what the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act means for Minnesota, we’ll be working in the legislature to capitalize on this moment and fully build back better for our state.”
“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s impact in Minnesota will be transformational for our communities,” said House Transportation Committee Chair Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis). “We have a great opportunity and responsibility to build a transportation system that works for everyone, no matter where they live or how they travel. These critical investments will help us move forward into the 21st century and deliver sustainable solutions to help us reduce the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions.”
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a $1.2 trillion initiative that contains a five-year federal surface transportation reauthorization as well as approximately $550 billion in new infrastructure investments. The major areas of focus for these new investments are transportation, water, broadband, energy, environmental remediation, and resiliency.
From the new law, Minnesota is estimated to receive $4.5 billion for highways, $818 million for public transportation, $302 million for bridges, and $68 million for electric vehicle charging stations. Other important investments from the legislation not related to transportation include $100 million for broadband internet and $680 million for clean water infrastructure.
A video recording of today’s informational hearing will be available on the House Public Information Youtube page. Additional information from testifiers is available here.
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