Saint Paul, MN- Yesterday, amid chaos, the Minnesota House of Representatives adjourned at midnight with much left unfinished. A last hope for any sort of bonding bill was killed 15 minutes before adjournment. As the clock ticked, Rep. Rick Hansen offered a handwritten amendment to provide crucial trunk highway funding for construction to Robert Street. After Republican Speaker Daudt indicated he would rule the amendment out of order, Hansen had to withdraw the amendment. A photo of the Hansen amendment is attached. Hansen voted against the final bill and released the following statement:
“House Republicans gave us an 80 page bonding bill and 13 page spreadsheet to review 30 minutes before we were constitutionally required to adjourn for the year. When we as a legislature are discussing how to spend hundreds of millions of dollars we need to be thorough and thoughtful in how we make our decisions. That means having adequate time in the legislative process to examine and consider legislation. Minnesotans are holding us accountable, and they should. It is our duty as civil servants to serve our constituents; I fought through terrible procedure and poor House Republican leadership until the bitter end to ensure my community’s project could get the consideration it deserves. The 2016 session is a wakeup call that reform and more transparent governance is required for the good of Minnesota.”
A special session is under consideration among House and Senate leaders, although Governor Dayton has not committed to it.
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