ST. PAUL – Legislation authored by Rep. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, passed the Minnesota House Tuesday April 22 as part of the Road and Bridge Act of 2015, the major part of a House Republican proposal for transportation in Minnesota.
The House proposes investing $7 billion over the next decade with a focus on roads and bridges. Among provisions included in the House plan is legislation Howe authored which places general sales tax revenue already paid on the purchase of parts into a new Transportation Stability Fund that would pay for improvements on roads and bridges, small-city roads, bus service in Greater Minnesota and more. It is estimated Howe's proposal – along with dedicating other general sales tax dollars already paid on auto parts – would generate approximately $2.57 billion over the next 10 years.
The House legislation does not include a tax increase. That is in contrast to Gov. Mark Dayton's proposal to raise the gas tax by 6.5 percent at the wholesale level, a minimum of 16 cents at current prices.
"Minnesotans have made it clear they want better roads but oppose more tax increases," Howe said. "This transportation package shows we can make roads and bridges a priority and support them accordingly by using resourcefulness and ingenuity using taxes already collected instead of just going back to the taxpayers for more."
Cities with populations of fewer than 5,000 residents would receive $282 million for transportation-related projects through the House plan. Municipalities in Howe's District 13A alone would receive around $425,000 annually. Here is a rundown of approximated distribution:
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Avon, $41,718
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Cold Spring, $94,051
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Eden Valley, $37,802
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Kimball, $34,718
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Paynesville, $69,737
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Richmond, $45,581
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Rockville, $102,000
Over the next 10 years, the Road and Bridge Act of 2015 prioritizes repairing or replacing an estimated 15,500 lane miles for all roads and 330 bridges statewide. The plan also increases funding by two-and-a-half times – to $812 million – for road-and-bridge projects to help traffic flow more freely in corridors of commerce throughout the state.
"There are bottlenecks in our district that need to be cleared up to both improve safety and help us deliver products and services," Howe said. "Increased traffic on some of our local roads has created dangerous stretches and this transportation plan would help us address those."
In addition to the dedicated funds provided by the Transportation Stability Fund, the Republican proposal uses $1.3 billion in Trunk Highway bonds, $1.2 billion from realigning Minnesota Department of Transportation resources, $1.05 billion in General Obligation bonds, and $228 million in General Funds. The legislation now goes to the Senate for its action.
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