ST. PAUL, Minn. – Today the Minnesota House passed a bonding bill to fund statewide infrastructure improvements. The bill, with $850 million of state general obligation bonds and $250 million of trunk highway bonds, falls short of Gov. Dayton’s $1.5 billion package of recommended investments.
Duluth-area projects funded in the bill include renovations at A.B. Anderson Hall at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, asset preservation for UMD, $4 million for improvements at Glensheen, phase two of the Duluth Steam Plant project and grant funding for Regional Mental Health Crisis Centers, for which Duluth is eligible. Many of the projects are funded with the assistance of local or private matching dollars. Duluth legislators Rep. Jennifer Schultz (DFL – Duluth) and Rep. Liz Olson (DFL – Duluth) were supportive of the bill.
Rep. Schultz released the following statement:
“We’re pleased that after of all the hard work it took, important projects for Duluth were included in the House’s version of the bill. These investments are critical for our community and I’m grateful for their inclusion. Unfortunately, this bill only brings us about halfway to where we need to be. Funding for the University of Minnesota system in particular should be boosted. We can do so much more and I’ll continue to work toward a more complete result for Duluth.”
Rep. Olson released the following statement:
“The inclusion of important projects like Glensheen and the steam plant is good news for Duluth today. I’m proud of the work of our delegation and community members to get them this far, but funding for other priorities, like the sea walls, were left out. We have the capacity to make a much higher level of investment both for Duluth and for our state. Investments in infrastructure are investments in opportunities for people, and the final version of the bill should deliver more of these.”
After the Minnesota Senate considers its version of the bill, a House/Senate conference committee will have to put together a compromise version before the legislature adjourns by next Monday.