Legislative Update - Our Transportation Budget & Other Proposals

Hello Friends, 

Since returning from our Easter and Passover Recess, we’ve been spending a lot of our time at the State Capitol on the House Floor, debating and passing our proposals for our new state budget. 

So far, we’ve approved our Higher Education, Legacy, Environment and Clean Energy, Housing, Veterans, Elections, State and Local Government, K-12 Education, Agriculture, Transportation, and Early Childhood budget proposals. 

As Vice Chair of the House Transportation Committee, a lot of my focus has been on getting our Transportation Budget off the ground, which I’m happy to share passed with bipartisan support. 

Minnesotans deserve safe and reliable transportation options, whether that’s a car, bus, train, bike, or however they choose to get around, which is why our budget is investing more than $2.1 billion in a multimodal transportation system for all Minnesotans now and into the future. You read some of the highlights of the budget below:

The Legacy Amendment

In 2008, Minnesota’s voters passed the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment because all of us want our state to be a great place to live, work, and play. We passed our Legacy Budget, investing over $820 million to continue the work of restoring, enhancing, and protecting Minnesota’s most treasured spaces and places, increasing access for everyone. 

This is another fantastic bill, and one that wouldn’t be possible without the DFL Trifecta. It’s investments include the following:

The Democracy for the People Act

Not a budget, but an equally important bill we passed recently was the Democracy for the People Act. I was incredibly proud to vote for this bill because democracy works best when everyone has the opportunity to participate and make their voice heard.

Our bill will do the following, for all Minnesotans, no matter their race, background, zip code, or who they voted for:

Stay Connected

It’s a busy time in the legislature. In addition to the bills I mentioned above, we’ll be passing more this week, and there are also stand-alone bills we’re debating as well - today, among others, we’ll be debating our bill to legalize adult-use cannabis.

The Minnesota Senate is doing the same thing, and though we share common goals, our proposals aren’t exactly identical. After we pass our respective budget proposals, we’ll begin negotiations with our Senate colleagues to find areas where we agree, negotiate where we don’t, and craft our final budget bills that will fund Minnesota for the next two years. 

Feel free to follow along on my official Facebook page, and please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you have on our work. 

Brad Tabke, State Representative | Rep.Brad.Tabke@house.mn.gov

Jared Margolis, Legislative Assistant | Jared.Margolis@house.mn.gov