Accessibility menu
State Representative Jim Davnie
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-0173
For more information contact: Charlene Briner 651-296-5809
HOUSE BRIEFS
State Rep. Jim Davnie On the Issues - Bonding
On April 2nd, the Minnesota House of Representatives voted with bipartisan support to pass the Omnibus Capital Investment bill, H.F. 380. Over the course of this biennium, nearly $4 billion in requests were submitted to the Capital Investment Finance Division for possible inclusion in H.F. 380. Members of the Capital Investment Finance Division visited hundreds of sites for evaluation, ultimately selecting the most worthy for inclusion. The final version of the bill as approved by the House and Senate would have invested $925 million of general obligation bonds in construction, acquisition, restoration, and preservation projects throughout Minnesota.
Prior to enactment, the Governor line item vetoed approximately $200 million in projects from H.F. 380. The list of vetoed projects included early childhood education facilities, Red Lake schools, items for MnSCU, and the Central Corridor project. In subsequent negotiations, the House, the Senate, and the Governor reached an agreement for a second bonding bill, H.F. 4072. In particular, H.F. 4072 contains critical funding for the Central Corridor project, Lake Vermillion state park, and the Minneapolis Veterans Home, which is located in the southern portion of our district near Minnehaha Falls Park.
H.F. 380 and H.F. 4072 make many long-overdue investments in our state colleges and universities, wastewater treatment, transportation, and other critical needs. In particular, H.F. 380 ensures the ongoing preservation of natural resources in our community. The bill includes $2.9 million for restoration projects around the Lower Glen area of Minnehaha Creek. Furthermore, bonding in excess of $10 million for metro regional parks should secure the successful completion of renovations at Wabun Park.
In addition to its commitments for natural resources, the Legislature has approved several bonding requests for the University of Minnesota and MnSCU. H.F. 380 invests in biomedical research facilities at the University of Minnesota and science and engineering labs for MnSCU institutions. Additional University of Minnesota projects include $10 million for a civil engineering addition, $3.5 million for research and outreach centers, and more than $3 million for laboratory renovation. By working strategically within our bonding bills, the Legislature will be helping put Minnesotans to work at a time when the private sector job growth is slow, and laying groundwork for creations of the jobs of tomorrow.
News Items
- Republicans Choose Banks Over Middle Class Homeowners - (Posted: 2012-03-27 00:00:00)
- Health care access - (Posted: 2011-07-29 00:00:00)
- K-12 Finance and Policy - (Posted: 2011-07-28 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.