Dear Friends,
I hope you've had a chance to get outside and enjoy the spring weather that has finally come to Minnesota. Winter seems to be safely in our rear-view mirror.
Yesterday the legislature adjourned for our annual Easter/Passover recess. The legislature will be off for the next week, and will return to finish up the last few weeks of the 2014 session on April 22nd.
The constitutional last possible day is May 19th, but I anticipate we will finish our business before that time.
I wanted to update you on an amendment I offered yesterday to a transportation bill for yet another Metro-area project. My amendment would have used $30 million in funding to allow MnDOT to acquire right-of-way needs for Highway 14. The right-of-way purchase is essential to qualify for Corridors of Commerce funds.
Amendments to specific agency/projects are not usually allowed on the floor since they haven't gone through the typical committee process, so I eventually withdrew the amendment. It was good however to call the attention of my colleagues to the need to continue making progress on the Highway 14 project.
I will continue speaking up and working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move the Highway 14 project forward. This is an important project that deserves consideration, especially given the imbalance of transportation funding in Greater Minnesota versus the Metro area.
When the legislature returns April 22nd, we will have just a few weeks left to finish up our business. If you have questions or thoughts you'd like to share as this session wraps up, please don't hesitate to contact me by phone at 651-296-5368 or by e-mail at rep.john.petersburg@house.mn. For the next week, email is the best way to reach me as I will be back home in Waseca. My legislative assistant will pass along any phone messages.
Have a great weekend, and a blessed Easter season.
Rep. John Petersburg
State Representative, District 24A