Hello from St. Paul,
I have great news to report on Highway 65 this week.
When the House was debating its version of the omnibus transportation funding bill, I successfully amended the legislation to include $25 million for Highway 65. I then tried to get $74 million more but that motion failed by 2 votes.
In the Senate, our Senator Michael Kreun was able to secure $56 million in its transportation spending package.
So, with funding for Highway 65 in BOTH the House and Senate bills we are in the BEST possible shape to come home with some meaningful funding. $25 million isn't enough, but with $25 million in the House and $56 million in the Senate, the odds of securing something before session’s end has dramatically improved. Ultimately, we need $100 million to fully fund the reconstruction of 99th Avenue, 105th Avenue, and 109th Avenue. Nothing is guaranteed here, but having something in both bills at this point puts us in great position.
Now, a House/Senate conference committee will meet to hash out the differences between the two transportation funding plans.
Conference committees are created when the House and Senate each pass a bill, but the language in each version is not identical. This committee is made up of an equal number of representatives and senators who are tasked with creating a compromise proposal that can be approved by both legislative bodies. Once that happens, the bill is sent to Governor Walz for his signature.
Not every lawmaker is able to serve on a conference committee. This session, I will be part of the conference committee for the cannabis bill.
The 2023 legislative session must conclude on May 22, so expect to hear about a flurry of conference committee report activity at the State Capitol as the deadline nears. As many of these budget bills were extremely partisan when they left the House floor, I’m hopeful that the compromise measures will return in much better shape.
Talk to you soon,
Nolan