ST. PAUL – Rep. Matt Bliss, R-Pennington, issued the following statement regarding Gov. Mark Dayton’s enactment Wednesday of the capital investment bill presented to him after final passage in the Legislature May 20. The bill included a combined $35 million for two projects in Bemidji – $22.5 million for a Bemidji State University building project and another $12.5 million for a veterans home in the city.
“It’s hard to put into words just how pleasing it is to get the governor’s signature on this bill,” Bliss said. “I’m just happy for the people of Bemidji that this day finally came. Countless hours have been invested in bringing the BSU academic center and veterans home projects through the process and there were so many obstacles to overcome. The legislative process is rigorous, but this proves that persistence and good old fashioned hard work pays off. I look forward to seeing shovels in the ground at BSU and now it’s just up to the federal government to take care of its end of the deal on the veterans home with an additional $25 million match, for a total of $60 million in construction projects for Bemidji.”
-30-