St. Paul, MN - Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives approved legislation making updates and technical changes to previous appropriations for capital investment projects. Originally a more robust capital investment bill, the modifications are currently the only bonding proposal capable of meeting the three-fifths majority needed for passing a bonding bill.
State Representative Fue Lee (DFL - Minneapolis), chair of the House Capital Investment Committee, pointed to a lack of Republican support for equity-improving projects as the reason for the absence of a more comprehensive bill at this time.
“These modifications are incredibly important for ensuring previously vetted and approved projects receive the support they need, but there is also a great need among marginalized communities that is unfortunately being ignored,” said Rep. Lee. “Interest rates remain low and Minnesota maintains its AAA bond rating, both factors that show we have the ability to produce a much more effective bill than the one we passed today. We shouldn’t take a year off in helping Minnesotans, especially as we’re structuring our recovery from the struggles of the past year. If we want our state to experience a full and equitable recovery from the pandemic and the resulting economic recession, we need to come together and pass a bill that creates jobs and delivers resources to all Minnesotans.”
The legislation can be found here. Video of the House Floor session is available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.