Dear Friends,
The entirety of this week was spent on the House floor debating various funding and policy omnibus bills. Highlights from this past week include the passage of the House transportation and health and human services omnibus bills. A brief overview of each is below. More details on other omnibus bills will be included in future updates, but for now we will concentrate on these two bills.
The House transportation bill passed last Friday on a vote of 76-54. This bill allocated $6 billion over the next 10 years to build roads and bridges. This bills creates a dedicated Transportation Priorities Fund by reallocating $450 million dollar in existing transportation-related tax revenue. It does not raise the gas tax.
Transportation funding included:
- $25 million for the Small Cities Road Assistance program
- $300 million for Corridors of Commerce program
- $35 million for rail grade crossings
- Funding to repair or replace all 97 bridges on MnDOT's local bridge priority list
The HHS funding package passed on Friday with a vote of 74-53. This bill dedicates dollars toward protecting and addressing the needs of disabled children and the elderly, as well as victims of abuse and neglect. The bill keeps the Health and Humans Services budget to $13.7 billion, which represents a savings of nearly $600 million in taxpayer money by reducing inefficiencies. This bills also repeals MNsure, Minnesota’s version of ObamaCare, which has increased health insurance costs and limited coverage option for consumers in our state.
Both the transportation and health and human services bills will be debated in conference committees with the Senate once the legislature returns from a week of Easter break.
God bless you and your family as we observe Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection in this time of Easter.
Sincerely,
Glenn