ST. PAUL, MN—On Monday the Minnesota House approved HF80, a bill to convert bonding projects previously financed by Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) bonds to traditional general obligation bonds. House Republicans successfully pushed to have technical fixes included that would allow funding to proceed for the Highway 14 and Highway 23 projects approved during the 2018 session. Construction on Highway 14 has been delayed as a result of bill language issues that could only be fixed with legislation. Rep. Duane Quam, R-Byron, issued the following statement regarding the Highway 14 fix language:
"I’m still upset that a state employee, could cost us at least a year, by saying the language provided by MnDOT was problematic," Rep. Quam said. "I’m glad that we have the suggested improved language in one of the first bills sent to the governor. But I will not stop hammering people on this until the groundwork starts on the Highway 14 and 23 projects. This is many years overdue, the delay has harmed our communities and families, and cost us the lives of loved ones."
Last session, Republicans in the House and Senate approved $160 million to complete a stretch of Highway 14 from Owatonna to Dodge Center.
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