Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The second session of a biennium is often considered the year for a bonding bill at the Capitol, legislation that requires a three-fifths majority vote to pass in both the House and Senate. The House has set a $600 million bonding target, while the Senate has released a bonding proposal that borrows a substantial $1.5 billion. That is far more than the average $800 million bonding bill we have seen in even numbered years over the last decade. While bonding bills can help fund a number of needed infrastructure projects in Northwest Minnesota, the Senate's mammoth proposal would put a significant amount on the state's credit card and would cost taxpayers a lot of money in future bienniums. For those reasons, when the Senate brought their bill to a vote on Thursday, it did not receive the three-fifths majority necessary to pass.
Right now, our state spends approximately $750 million per year paying off previously approved capital investment projects, and it is one of the fastest growing expenditures in our General Fund. Any bonding bill passed this year should fund priority projects without blowing future budgets. I think the Senate's plan is fiscally irresponsible and will significantly pile onto our state debt.
What's more, several DFL Senators recently wrote a letter stating that they will refuse to support any bonding bill this year that does not include $135 million for Southwest Light Rail. That total cost of that project has grown nearly 50 percent to $1.77 billion, and many folks in Northwest Minnesota have expressed their opposition to this train in Minneapolis, when they think taxpayer money can be more effectively utilized in other places. I agree that this would not be the best use or most cost effective option for transportation this session, and still support passing a comprehensive transportation bill that funds our roads and bridges—something 98 percent of Minnesotans rely on daily to get to places like work, school and the grocery store. I hope that a small handful of State Senators won't hold a bipartisan bonding agreement hostage over their insistence on light rail.
Furthermore when it comes to bonding, a majority of Minnesotans have shared that their top two priorities this session are tax relief and a transportation bill to fix our roads and bridges, so I believe those should be addressed first before we look to borrow more dollars for capital investment projects.
Look for bonding to be an important issue as we enter into the last two weeks of the legislative session. I am hopeful we can come to bipartisan agreements to fund the priorities that Minnesotans share and will keep you updated as we move closer to adjournment.
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If I can ever assist you or your family on a matter of state government, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. I am here to serve you!
Deb
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