Policy bill makes another try

The new Highway 23 bridge over the Mississippi River in St. Cloud could be named the “Granite City Crossing.”

The name provision is in an updated version of the 2009 omnibus transportation policy bill that was vetoed by the governor. Several other provisions from last year are in round two of the bill; but lacking are the provisions that made it a veto target.

The House Finance Committee approved HF2807, sponsored by Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls), March 8 and sent it to the House Ways and Means Committee.

What’s out of the bill is reference to a specific route for a proposed high-speed rail line from the Twin Cities metropolitan area to Chicago. The governor had said that it was premature to select a specific route.

The bill also clarifies language creating a Council on Transportation Access. The governor had objected to a provision last year that members would be eligible for per diem; therefore, the new language states that members would only be reimbursed for expenses.

The 2009 bill prohibited several activities at rest areas, including sleeping overnight in vehicles or pitching a tent. An amendment successfully offered by Rep. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Mpls) eliminates most proposed prohibitions, but keeps one relating to improper disposal of trash and rubbish at rest areas.

The bill also designates two highway sections as memorials to veterans: the “Becker County Veterans Memorial Highway” would be along segments of Trunk Highways 34 and 87, a portion of Trunk Highway 200 from the North Dakota border to Mahnomen as the “Veterans Memorial Highway.” It also clarifies the description in a 2009 law creating a Clearwater County Veterans Memorial Highway along Trunk Highway 200.

The bill’s cost to the General Fund would be $153,000 in fiscal year 2011 and $150,000 in fiscal years 2012 and 2013.

A companion, SF2540, sponsored by Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), awaits action by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.