SAINT PAUL, MINN. – Speaker Daudt admitted to reporters today that House Republicans have prepared a $600 million bonding bill, but would not commit to releasing it to the public. With two weeks remaining in the 2016 session, House DFL Leader Paul Thissen released the following statement:
“If House Republicans have really put together a super-secret bonding bill behind closed doors and are refusing to release it to the public, they are once again showing the lack of leadership we've seen all year. It's impossible for legislators or the public to decide whether an invisible $600 million bonding bill meets Minnesota's needs.”
"Simple math tells me it will be hard to get enough votes from Republicans and Democrats to pass a $600 million bonding bill, particularly in light of the fact that House Republicans themselves have proposed over $3 billion in bonding projects. But, of course, we cannot know what the House will include in their $600 million bonding bill if they won’t even produce one.”
"What's really happening here is that the Speaker is once again trying to hide the true priorities of the House Republican caucus from Minnesotans. It’s time for House Republicans to stop playing political games and do their job. Releasing the House bonding bill so the public can participate is a necessary first step.”
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