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REP. DRAZKOWSKI: BONDING BILL IS A DISASTER

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

St. Paul – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives voted on a $1.9 billion omnibus bonding bill. The bill, known as HF 1, contained provisions regarding public finance, capital investment, taxes, and supplemental spending. Rep. Steve Drazkowski (Republican-Mazeppa) voted against the bill.

“This bonding bill is a total train wreck,” said Rep. Drazkowski. “Foolish projects, unbelievable spending, and a clear violation of the single subject rule define this bill. As such, I voted against it. While this bill did contain my provision to fix the Old US Highway 52 in Zumbrota, which is in my district, Democrats filled this bill with so many foolhardy projects that voting in its favor would be irresponsible.”

HF 1 passed the Minnesota House of Representatives by a vote of 100-34.

“The ridiculous proposals contained in this bill are not worth Minnesotans’ hard-earned money,” said Rep. Drazkowski. “These projects include skate park renovations, updating zoos, and remodeling theaters. Minnesota families’ and workers’ resources are valuable and should not be wasted in this way. Moreover, this bill contained $30 million in cash for metro-centric projects like a cultural wellness center and arts center in Minneapolis. Are you kidding me? We are facing a budget deficit of over $4 billion. This spending is unnecessary and woefully misguided.”

The bill will now go to the Minnesota Senate for a vote.

“Furthermore, this bill allocated nearly $12 million of resources to remedy the civil unrest in Minneapolis,” said Rep. Drazkowski. “Metro cities like Minneapolis receive proportionally far more money than other parts of the state. I am tired of Minneapolis’ irresponsibility, and refusal to uphold the rule of law, being rewarded with more tax dollars. The citizens of my district did not partake in the civil unrest that took place in Minneapolis, and they should not be forced to pay for it.”

HF 1 also included significant tax policy changes. Section 179 conformity was among those changes.

“The construction of this bill was beyond terrible,” said Rep. Drazkowski. “In reality, this bill should have been broken up into three separate bills – a tax bill, a bonding bill, and a supplemental budget. A separate tax bill should have been written which included Section 179 conformity. I would have voted in favor of it. Instead, Democrats jammed Section 179 into this bill in an attempt to goad Republicans into voting for all of these terrible projects. Such actions demonstrate just how disingenuous Democrats have been through this entire process.”

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