St. Paul, MN - Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Transportation Budget Bill following a bipartisan compromise reached with the Senate. The legislation invests in all modes of transportation across the state by funding improvements for pedestrian and bike infrastructure, transit development and services, road safety improvements, bridge replacements, as well as freight and passenger rail projects. State Representative Todd Lippert (DFL - Northfield) voted in favor of the legislation, noting the inclusion of transportation funding for small cities.
“All Minnesotans deserve safe transportation, but currently in Minnesota, cities with a population of less than 5000 people have no dedicated funding for street repairs. I was proud to work on legislation to change that, and the Transportation bill now includes $18 million in funding to assist small cities in meeting this need,” said Rep. Lippert. “Well-maintained roads and bridges are a crucial part of any community, and no Minnesota city, regardless of size, should be left behind.
705 of Minnesota’s smallest cities will see part of the $18 million investment in the Small Cities Assistance Program, which was created to address a gap in the state funding structure for road projects for cities with populations under 5,000. These cities do not receive a share of gas tax funds and are the only portion of the system without a dedicated revenue stream. Based on current population estimates, Montgomery would receive $55,349, Lonsdale would receive $73,877, Dundas would receive $31,965, Kilkenny would receive $10,791, and Heidelberg would receive $10,605.
The compromise transportation budget notably invests $57.5 million in arterial Bus Rapid Transit, funds the 2nd daily train to Chicago, reopens driver’s exam locations closed due to COVID-19, ends driver’s license suspensions for non-public safety offenses, and delivers funds for needed road and bridge repairs and safety improvements statewide.
The transportation budget prioritizes student safety by investing in safe routes to school to assist cities, counties, and towns statewide with local infrastructure projects to help ensure that students can safely walk or bike to school. The budget also contains grants to install cameras on school bus stop arms to help catch and enforce stop arm violations.
House DFLers prevailed with the inclusion of the elimination of suspension of driver’s licenses for failure to pay traffic tickets or failure to appear in court for either traffic tickets or driving after suspension. Other methods of enforcement and accountability such as collections remain in place along with suspensions for certain infractions with clear public safety objectives such as DUI, reckless driving, habitual offenders, etc. This reform measure will eliminate a policy that is disproportionately harming BIPOC and low-income Minnesotans while also freeing up court resources for more pressing matters, eliminating spiraling debt, and reducing unnecessary traffic stops. Additionally, the transportation budget contains funding for additional State Troopers, non-sworn Capitol Security officers, and body-worn cameras for all new positions.
In recognizing the need to cut carbon emissions and protect water quality in Minnesota, House DFLers advocated for the inclusion of investments in liquid deicing chemicals to reduce the use of road salt, and requiring Metro Transit to develop a zero-emission transit vehicle transition plan.
In reaching a compromise, Senate Republicans refused to agree on ongoing investments to provide long-term stability to transportation funding, electric vehicle infrastructure, and Metro Transit administrative citations, to bring the penalty for fare evasion in line with parking tickets.
A spreadsheet of the investments contained within the legislation is available here. Video of the House Floor session will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.