SAINT PAUL, Minn. –Today, the Minnesota House passed a Jobs & Local Projects and Critical Economic Development bill with investments in infrastructure and economic stimulus to help communities bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation invests $1.879 billion toward public assets such as higher education institutions, clean water infrastructure, roads and bridges, parks, trails, and more. It also contains supplemental state budget appropriations and a series of tax policy changes.
This bill provides $13 million to the Minnesota Zoo for asset preservation and revitalization projects, including the repurposing of the former monorail track into a treetop trail. It also includes funding for the Rosemount Readiness Center. A full list of the projects included can be accessed here.
“The House Majority has been working for a bipartisan local jobs and projects bill since last year,” said Rep. John Huot (DFL-Rosemount), who has championed the local measures for Rosemount and Apple Valley residents. “Thanks to the leadership and hard work of DFLers, the House is getting one step closer to a strong bill becoming law and investing in Minnesota’s economic recovery.”
The legislation also includes a series of supplemental budget items, including $16 million for direct care and treatment programs at the Department of Human Services. The bill also includes funding for a temporary pay increase for personal care attendants, $10.3 million to allow the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to test sexual assault examination kits, and funding for the State Patrol and Department of Natural Resources to cover overtime costs from this summer’s civil unrest.
Finally, the bill contains changes to tax policies, including full section 179 conformity to the federal tax code aimed at helping businesses and farmers. It also contains a policy fix for short-term rental properties, flexibility for the Minnesota State High School League’s sales tax proceeds, and an expansion of the homestead property tax exclusion for the spouses of deceased disabled veterans.
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