Accessibility menu
State Representative Michael Beard
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8872
For more information contact: Jodi Boyne 651-296-0640
HOUSE BRIEFS
AN UPDATE ON TRANSPORTATION HEARINGS
Friends,
On Wednesday, I was part of a joint hearing with the House and Senate transportation committees. We had several members of MnDOT on hand to answer questions, which mostly focused on the speed with which they plan to rebuild the bridge. A number of legislators want to see light rail included in the rebuilding, which MnDOT says would add significant time to complete the project, which is now planned to finish by the end of next year.
Some also expressed fear that the federal government would not come through with its full commitment of $250 million in emergency funding. However, if we include light rail plans in the rebuilt bridge, we could not even use the federal funding. MnDOT made it very clear that the emergency funding is for rebuilding what was lost with reasonable improvements. Light rail was not part of the previous bridge, nor was it even seriously discussed for that area. Let’s move forward with the plan for a new, 10-lane bridge (a reasonable improvement from the previous 8-lane bridge) and re-connect the north and south metro areas via I-35W.
Our committee will re-convene next week to continue questioning MnDOT officials. There has been a lot of speculation about a special session this fall but as of yet no decision has been made.
The Department of Education announced this week that Minnesota students led the nation in ACT college entrance exam scores for the third consecutive year. Our students scored an average of 22.5, compared to the national average of 21.2. Our score is up slightly from last year. By comparison, Iowa and Wisconsin tied for second at 22.3. Minnesota’s 22.5 is the highest state average since the early 1990s, when the test changed.
Scores also show we have room to improve in math and science as well as closing the achievement gap among minority students.
It was wonderful to see so many of you during National Night Out and our community celebrations in Prior Lake and Shakopee. I’m proud to represent people who are so active and committed to creating a strong community!
News Items
- Less Government Regulation Encourages Economic Growth - (Posted: 2012-02-27 00:00:00)
- MNDOT Awards Funding for Highway 101 Bridge Replacement - (Posted: 2012-03-30 00:00:00)
- Reform a Priority in 2012 - (Posted: 2012-01-25 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.