Saint Paul, Minn. – Early this morning, the House passed a Capital Investment bipartisan package that includes $846 million in GO bonds and an additional bill that includes $200 million in further investments in infrastructure projects. The bills include priorities with statewide significance, focusing on higher education, regional assets, transportation, housing, and basic infrastructure, as well as funding to complete the remaining renovation of the State Capitol.
The package of bills was passed on a broad bipartisan vote and funds projects in every corner of the state.
Rep. Alice Hausman, Chair of the House Capital Investment Committee, is pleased to see a bill pass with broad bipartisan support.
“We started with nearly $4 billion in project requests from across the state and had to reduce the final bill down to just over $1 billion in projects in the final package. The reward for that hard work is a bonding bill that creates jobs and preserves long term assets in communities across Minnesota. That’s something that doesn’t need to be a partisan issue.”
Highlights of the Capital Investment bill include:
• $126 million for completion of the State Capitol renovation
• $240 million in higher education projects for the University of Minnesota and MnSCU
• Over $113 million for roads, bridges and vital transportation infrastructure.
• $100 million for housing, the largest investment in state history.
• $27 million for E-12 Education facilities.
The bills will create jobs not just by putting people to work in the short term, but also by developing the regional centers that drive Minnesota’s economy. Funding for civic centers in Rochester, St Cloud, and Mankato will help to create vibrant communities in southern and central Minnesota.
To ensure our transportation system continues to allow people to travel to these regional centers, the bills invest over $113 million in transportation infrastructure. These funds will help make much needed repairs to roads, bridges, and ports across Greater Minnesota while also improving access to critical development sites like TCAAP in the metro area.
Investments of more than $119 million for the University of Minnesota and more than $120 million for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities will fund asset preservation projects on campuses from Rainy River to Rochester. These renovations and repairs will make building more energy efficient, but they will also help improve the education and job training for tens of thousands of students getting ready to enter the workforce.
The bills also include money for critical public safety facilities in St Cloud and Shakopee, flood mitigation projects in Moorhead and Montevideo, and the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System that will provide desperately needed water to several communities in southwestern Minnesota.
The bills now must be approved by the Senate, before being sent to the Governor to be signed into law.
A spreadsheet that breaks down projects included in both bills can be found here.