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$700 million divides bonding conference committee as it starts negotiations

Rep. Paul Torkelson, left, and Sen. LeRoy Stumpf confer before the first meeting of the capital investment conference committee May 20. Photo by Paul Battaglia
Rep. Paul Torkelson, left, and Sen. LeRoy Stumpf confer before the first meeting of the capital investment conference committee May 20. Photo by Paul Battaglia

Updated 6:20 p.m.

House and Senate lawmakers have begun negotiations on a compromise public works borrowing package with less than 72 hours to go in the 2016 legislative session.

A day after House lawmakers failed to pass an $800 million capital investment bill on the floor, a conference committee met briefly Friday morning in an attempt to bridge differences between the two sides’ proposals and get a bonding bill passed this session.

The two sides start out roughly $700 million apart; the Senate voted down a $1.5 billion bonding bill earlier this month. The Legislature must finish its work by 12:01 a.m. Monday.

“Time is short,” said Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska), chair of the House Capital Investment Committee.

Even-year legislative sessions have historically been bonding years, when lawmakers pass a large-scale borrowing package that helps fund infrastructure projects across the state through the sale of state-backed bonds.

The committee met twice Friday morning and early afternoon, adopting a small number of same and similar items before recessing. No updated time for reconvening has been posted. 

 


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