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St. Paul, Minnesota—Cuts made to the transportation budget, in conjunction with bills heard in committee, are making for a particularly painful impact to transit access and innovation.
House Republicans released their transportation budget this week with severe cuts and fee increases that would drastically impact metro commutes and access to transit programs for seniors and persons with disabilities.
Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL—St.Paul), who was recently appointed to the National Conference of State Legislature’s Transportation Committee, was confused by the bill put forward. “Cutting access to transit services that many seniors and middle class Minnesotans depend on is not reform. Increasing metro congestion resulting in longer commutes is not reform. And regressing back to the slash and burn cuts of the Pawlenty administration is certainly not reform."
Additionally, there are two bills moving through the House that would cancel already approved funds for bonding projects. Included in those bills are multiple transit projects such as the Inter-city Passenger Rail, the Rail Service Improvement Program, and the Central Corridor Light Rail—a project that has already broken ground.
“With these projects we have a unique opportunity,” explained Rep. Hausman. “Instead of remaining bound to cars and planes, we have the ability to think outside the box in terms of transportation—we have the opportunity to showcase innovation.”