SAINT PAUL, MINN—The Minnesota House adjourned sine die Sunday evening, officially concluding the 2016 legislative session. The House and Senate passed several bills, including a tax relief package of more than $800 million over the next three years. The bill – which passed on a 123-10 vote – includes more than half a billion in permanent tax breaks for middle-class Minnesotans.
In addition, the Minnesota House passed a bonding bill on Sunday with $696.5 million in funding for roads and bridges on a bipartisan vote of 91-39. In a political maneuver, the Senate DFL majority failed to pass the bonding bill and prevented funding from going to the following local projects:
- $7.5 million for Riverland Community College’s Albert Lea campus
- Funding for sewer infrastructure renovation in Albert Lea’s Stables neighborhood
- $12.5 million for Small Cities Road Assistance, a new program established by House Republicans in 2015
- Funds for Township Road Repairs
“The good news is the House and Senate passed a large tax relief proposal to give Minnesotans a needed break on their taxes,” said Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea. “Unfortunately, it’s disappointing to see the Senate put politics before people as they blocked needed road and bridge funding to fight for a new light rail train in the Twin Cities.”
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