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State Representative Matt Dean
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3018
For more information contact: Jodi Boyne 651-296-0640
NEWS RELEASE
HOUSE PASSES BONDING BILL; INCLUDES MONEY FOR CENTURY COLLEGE, STILLWATER PRISON
ST. PAUL – Century Community and Technical College will receive $4.5 million to renovate already purchased space into a computer center, offices and “smart” classrooms under the Minnesota House bonding bill approved Tuesday.
“I’m glad we could get this done for Century and its students,” said State Representative Matt Dean, R-Dellwood. Rep. Dean serves on the Capital Investment Committee, which is responsible for drafting the bonding bill.
Also included is $10 million for the Stillwater prison. The project would create a new, 150-bed segregation area for inmates who commit offenses while already serving a sentence for another crime. Rep. Dean was part of a delegation of legislators that toured the Stillwater unit last month where prison officials emphasized just how necessary the project is, Rep. Dean said.
The bill also includes $1,550,000 for a grant to the city of Bayport to complete the sewer system extending from the prison bond in Bayport through the Stillwater prison grounds to the St. Croix River.
More than $240 million of the bill’s proposed spending would go to higher education projects, including the biotechnology partnership between the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
The bill also includes $50 million for local bridge replacement projects and $18.5 million for local road improvements. In addition to the Stillwater prison project, the bill expands other prison facilities around the state, something Rep. Dean said should help ease the shortage of beds experienced across the state.
This year’s bill earned 121 supporting votes and found only 12 representatives in opposition. That number, Rep. Dean said, is indicative of the atmosphere of cooperation that exists in the House this session.
“People are really committed to results, especially on this bill,” Rep. Dean said. “I hope this kind of spirit continues as we form the budget and get into some of the other important bills,” he added.
The bill now goes to conference committee where members of the House and Senate will reconcile differences in their respective bills. Once the bills are combined into one, it will be submitted to Governor Pawlenty for his signature.
HOUSE BONDING BILL OVERVIEW
The bonding bill spends $816,749,000. It supports the proposed spending target by Governor Pawlenty and is almost $200 million less than the Minnesota Senate.
Major capital budget areas:
HIGHER EDUCATION
Provides more than $243 million for higher education institutions, and more than Governor Pawlenty proposed for MnSCU campus projects. Many projects are ready to go with a commitment by the Minnesota Legislature. Included are:
? $9.65 million for an academic building at Anoka-Ramsey Community College
? $10.2 million for Winona Pasteur Hall science facility
? $12.9 million for St. Cloud Tech Workforce Center
LOCAL ROADS & BRIDGES
Provides more than $70 million to fund local road and bridge projects throughout the state. Included are:
? $50 million for local bridge replacement and rehabilitation
? $6 million for local share of Trunk Highway projects
? $12.5 million for local road improvement grants
TRANSIT
Funds buses and the Northstar, Central Corridor Transit and Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit. Included area:
? $10 million for Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid transit
ENVIRONMENT
More than $119 million to fund Minnesota Department of Natural Resources projects, flood mitigation, Conservation Reserve and Enhancement Program (CREP), trails and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Included are:
? $21 million for flood mitigation grants
? $12 million for RIM Wildlife Area Acquisition
PUBLIC SAFETY
More than $123 million to fund expansion of Minnesota Department of Corrections prison facilities. Funding is also provided to house/incarcerate elderly sex offenders and for the sex offender facility in St. Peter. Included:
? $84.8 million for Minnesota Correction Facility - Faribault expansion
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE
More than $100 million for economic development projects for local communities, including the Wastewater Infrastructure Fund (WIF) that provides loans and grants for local water and sewer projects. Included are:
? $20 million for University of Minnesota /Mayo Biotech facility
? $14.3 million for EPA Drinking Water/Wastewater
? $20 million redevelopment grants; of that, $5 million for Sears Redevelopment project in Minneapolis.
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