Bonding update

The House and Senate are moving closer to an agreement on what to bond for capital investment this year.

“All I care is that the bill is signed and the language is workable,” said Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL-St. Paul).

The current House proposal offers $90 million for asset preservation, $58 million for “shovel ready” projects and $94 million for rehabilitation, renovation and flood mitigation.

HF855*/SF781, sponsored by Hausman and Sen. Keith Langseth (DFL-Glyndon), differ by $549,000, the House using General Obligation bonds for more projects.

Both bills contain money for asset preservation for several things, including the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

Bonding for other projects includes:

• $24 million in both bills for the Bell Museum at the University of Minnesota;

• $50 million in the Senate versus the House’s $53.8 million for flood mitigation grants;

• $22.8 million in the House bill for the Metropolitan Council versus $23.7 million from the Senate; and

• $2.5 million for national solar testing certification laboratories in both proposals.

Also working though the process and presented during the conference committee May 6 was a disaster relief bill HF2347/SF2113, sponsored by Rep. Morrie Lanning (R-Moorhead) and Langseth, with the House proposal as $17.7 million and the Senate at $57.3 million, for various disaster relief including help for flood loss and economic development.

The flood proposal is a major piece of the negotitions in the capital investment bill.