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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL)

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Kahn Praises New Bonding Proposal, Significant Investments in U of MN Included

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

ST. PAUL, MN – Today the Minnesota House of Representatives unveiled capital investment legislation (more commonly known as the bonding bill) that will create good jobs, spark economic development and improve Minnesota’s infrastructure.

This year’s proposal includes $850 million in bonds and $125 million in one-time cash from Minnesota’s budget surplus.

State Representative Phyllis Kahn (DFL – Minneapolis) says the bill makes major investments in District 60B, including:

$56.7 million for the University of Minnesota to renovate, furnish and equip the Tate Laboratory of Physics for the College of Science and Engineering.

$11.75 million for Hennepin County to rehabilitate the Franklin Avenue bridge (not available until at least $16.5 million is secured from non-state sources).

$7.5 million for the University of Minnesota to repair and improve buildings and facilities on the Minneapolis campus.

$4.5 million for storm tunnel rehabilitation on I-35W North and South (not available until at least an equal amount of funding is secured from non-state sources).

$330,000 for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to renovate and expand the Brian Coyle Community Center.

“The University of Minnesota is an invaluable asset to our state,” said Kahn. “The House bonding proposal makes investments that ensure our students have access to a top-notch learning environment right now and into the future.”

Kahn said she is pleased the new proposal includes funding to expand the Brian Coyle Center.

“It’s a tremendous resource for our new American community,” said Kahn of the popular West Bank location. “By renovating and expanding the building, we can make sure current and future generations can enjoy the benefits it brings to the area.”

Kahn also praised the bill for other major investments in the City of Minneapolis, such as $4.5 million to renovate Nicollet Mall and $8 million to make improvements to the Walker Art Center’s Sculpture Garden.

“This bonding bill gives us a lot of bang for our buck, however, I agree with the Capital Investment Committee Chair Alice Hausman’s assessment that it does not go far enough in addressing our state’s needs,” added Kahn. “It’s disappointing that my colleagues in the Republican Party prevented us from addressing some of these needs last Session when interest rates were even lower than they are today. If more Republicans had supported a comprehensive bonding bill last year, we would’ve reached the two-thirds supermajority threshold required to pass the bill.”

After the House and Senate vote on their respective bonding bills, a conference committee of members from both chambers will iron out differences before a final bill can be sent to Governor Dayton to be signed into law.

The full $850 million House bonding bill can be found here:

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/docs/a14-1037.pdf   

The $125 million House general fund bill can be found here:

http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/docs/a14-1038.pdf

Rep. Kahn encourages her constituents to contact her with any questions about the House bonding bill. She can be reached by phone at (651) 296-4257, by email at rep.phyllis.kahn@house.mn, or by postal mail at 365 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, MN 55155.