St. Paul, Minn. – Tonight, the Minnesota House passed the Omnibus Jobs, Agriculture and Environment Finance Bill on a vote of 72-54. Perhaps most notably, the bill funded an expansion of high-speed broadband internet at only $15 million, well below the $100 million proposed by Gov. Mark Dayton and the $85 million proposed by the Senate DFL Majority.
State Rep. Jack Considine (DFL – Mankato) released the following statement afterward:
“This bill is an incredible disappointment for those who continue to be left behind by a House Majority that has made such hefty but ultimately empty promises about their commitment to Greater Minnesota. The need for investment in broadband is real, and with a $900 million surplus it’s absurd we could only find $15 million for this, and leave such a significant portion of the state stuck using dial-up. Whether it’s children trying to get their homework done, or small business owners trying to sell product to a global marketplace, Minnesotans need fast, reliable service. The longer we wait, the further Greater Minnesota falls behind the rest of the state, and frankly, the rest of the world.
“It was also disappointing that to even fund this drop in the bucket for broadband, money was grabbed from the Job Creation Fund and the Minnesota Investment Fund, both of which have leveraged millions of dollars in private investment to put Minnesotans to work. We have a surplus so we shouldn’t need to pick winners and losers. Instead, let’s invest real money in broadband now.”