ST. PAUL – After crafting legislation last session that resulted in billions of dollars being invested into transportation needs without a tax increase, State Representative Jason Rarick (R-Pine City) said the Minnesota House is prioritizing road and bridge needs once again.
This week a supplemental transportation finance bill was unveiled that would allocate another $385 million for Minnesota’s transportation priorities, again without tax increases.
“Last year we approved the biggest transportation funding bill in nearly ten years, and it still didn’t go as far as we wanted,” Rarick said. “This legislation would make up some of that difference, and continues moving us in the right direction when it comes to road and bridge repair.”
Rarick said the bill utilizes surplus funds leveraged with trunk highway bonds to spend $385 million on transportation needs this year. He also noted that the proposal increases the amount of funding being dedicated to small cities with populations less than 5,000 residents, which benefits every town in House District 11B.
“I’m very happy we recommitted to roads and bridges and that in the House we have made transportation infrastructure a top priority,” Rarick said.