St. Paul, MN - Today, ahead of the House Capital Investment Committee’s walk-through of the bill, Rep. Fue Lee (DFL - Minneapolis) and Sen. Sandy Pappas (DFL - St. Paul), the House and Senate Chairs of their respective Capital Investment Committees, unveiled legislation for a Bonding Bill. The legislation is based largely on the bipartisan agreement for capital investment reached near the end of the 2022 legislative session. A spreadsheet of proposed investments can be found here.
“The work on a 2022 Bonding Bill never stopped, and though Sen. Pappas and I have negotiated in good faith with our Republican colleagues for the last several months, and will continue to do so, it’s long past time to bring in the public on this important bill,” said Rep. Lee. “Hundreds of critical infrastructure projects have gone unfunded. There are leaky roofs and windows in state buildings, an inadequate campus chemistry laboratory, unstable riverbanks, kids taking unsafe routes to schools, housing that needs to be built for our most vulnerable, and failing wastewater infrastructure. These are projects that are crucial to communities throughout the state, and inflation causes them to go up in cost the longer we delay this unfinished work. It’s time to complete the work of 2022. Minnesota can’t wait any longer.”
“Communities across Minnesota have waited for years for their legislators to act on these vital infrastructure projects,” said Sen. Pappas. “It’s past time to complete the work that was left unfinished in previous sessions so we can take up the projects of 2023 and beyond. I’ve been encouraged by the bipartisan efforts that have already shaped this bill, and I look forward to taking it up in the Senate Capital Investment Committee on Tuesday. I have faith that with my colleagues—DFL and Republican— we will get this work done so that Minnesotans can be confident in the roads they drive on, roofs they study under, and buildings they work in.”
The House Capital Investment Hearing is currently underway. A live video recording can be found here. Additional information can be found on the House committee’s webpage. The Senate Capital Investment Committee will take up the bill tomorrow. This legislation will be the focus of immediate upcoming hearings.
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