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State Representative Ryan Winkler
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7026
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
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HOUSE PASSES SURVIVOR COMPENSATION CONFERENCE REPORT
ST. PAUL - After announcing a legislative agreement last week, the Minnesota House approved an I35W Survivors Compensation Fund conference report (HF 2553) today awarding survivors of last summer's tragedy $38 million to help meet outstanding medical costs, long-term disability needs, lost wages, and other damages incurred from the bridge collapse. The bill passed with overwhelming support by a vote of 127 to 5. The Minnesota Senate is poised to pass the bill today with broad bipartisan support before it is sent to Governor Tim Pawlenty for final approval.
"What happened last summer was a tragedy; there's no other way to describe it," said Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL - Golden Valley/St. Louis Park) who authored the bill in the House. "But by passing this bill today, we are coming together as Minnesotans with a responsible approach to provide survivors with resources to rebuild their lives. In doing so, so we can ensure these survivors can heal, and our state can fully recover from this devastating tragedy."
The $38 million compensation fund allows each victim to receive up to $400 thousand each out of a $28 million primary fund. A supplemental $12.64 million fund will be available for the most severely injured to recover uncompensated medical expenses, long-term health costs, and lost wages. $750,000 will be appropriated for administrative expenses, and $610,000 will be directed to Waite House - the community organization supporting children who were on a bus when the I35W Bridge collapsed last summer.
"We are acting today both responsibly and fairly to give bridge survivors some closure on an unprecedented event that changed their lives forever," said Rep. Winkler. "We cannot change what happened last August. But the bill we have carefully crafted over the course of the last nine months will provide survivors of this tragedy with the resources they need to move forward."
Funds will be appropriated to survivors of the collapse by a three-member panel of special masters. The Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court will appoint these special masters by June 30th of this year. By opting into the Fund, survivors of the bridge collapse will waive their right to sue the state for damages.
News Items
- Statement on Budget Forecast - (Posted: 2012-12-05 00:00:00)
- Statement on Final I-35 W Bridge Settlement - (Posted: 2012-11-13 00:00:00)
- Rep. Winkler: Tea Party Activists Can’t Be Trusted to Reform Our Elections - (Posted: 2012-11-01 00:00:00)
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