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State Representative John Ward
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4333
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
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HOUSE PASSES COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION BILL
St. Paul, MN – State Rep. John Ward (DFL – Brainerd) applauded the passage of the House transportation bill on Thursday, saying it represents a turning point for Minnesotans with regard to the ongoing need for safer roads and bridges, reduced congestion and the creation of new jobs.
"Watching this bill develop throughout the last few days has been a true lesson in compromise, " said Rep. Ward. "We started out with a good bill, and by working with members on both sides of the aisle, as well as advocates and business groups – including the Chamber of Commerce, we arrived at a final bill that I believe everyone can live with.
We came into this session ready and determined to solve our state's transportation crisis, and with the passage of this bill today, we have met that goal."
The transportation bill invests $6.6 billion in state highways and bridges over the next 10 years. It includes $10 million for rural road safety, the hiring of 40 additional state troopers, $650 million to repair bridges, and a tax credit for the lowest income individuals. It is expected to create as many as 33 thousand jobs a year for the next five years, and will help local communities lower property taxes by funding local roads and bridges.
It is also an almost equal balance between metro and outstate funding, according to Ward.
The bill is funded by a phased-in gas tax increase, a responsible amount of borrowing - paid for by a tax surcharge, and dedicating the leased motor vehicle sales tax to transportation, among others. It also includes a ¼ cent metro sales tax dedicated to transit in the metro area.
"Just this week, the Legislative Auditor released his report on our state's transportation system," said Ward. "His report clearly predicted a grim future for our roads and bridges, and said MnDOT will exhaust its resources by 2012 just to keep up with preserving the roads we have."
The report also shows that MnDOT has failed to meet its own road quality goals, and has also consistently scheduled more state trunk highway projects than it could deliver given the available funding.
"We clearly need to change directions," said Ward. "Our state is not investing enough money into our transportation system, and as the result, our roads and bridges are falling apart."
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass later on Thursday. The Governor has indicated he will again veto the transportation bill, but this time, Rep. Ward is optimistic that the votes are there for a veto override.
"The time is now to fix this problem, and I think legislators on both sides of the aisle agree," said Ward.
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