Minnesota Legislature Reconvenes Tuesday to Tackle Project List in Final Five Weeks

(KNSI) — The Minnesota Legislature gaveled back into session at noon Tuesday, and they still have several items on the to-do list before the mandatory May 22nd adjournment date.

House Speaker Representative Melissa Hortman says one priority is education funding. “I think it’s very important that we invest in Minnesota’s public school system. We have for a very long time been coasting on past success, and it’s time to really invest from preschool all the way to technical training and also our colleges and universities. We know that we don’t have enough resources invested right now. We need to make sure all those who are working in education can earn a good wage and have a secure retirement, and we need those assets to be in place so that children can learn and so that our workforce can be one of the most productive in the country as it has been for these past many years.”

She says healthcare and lowering the cost of prescription drugs need to be taken care of, as do paid family leave, worker protections, and public safety.

Legalizing sports betting and recreational marijuana have been lingering in the background this session.

The elephant in the room is the lack of a bonding bill from 2022. Last month the House passed a $1.6 billion capital investment package, but Republicans have said no deal unless the DFL majority agrees to tax cuts. The House Taxes Committee is hearing $2.2 billion in proposed tax increases Tuesday, and Republicans are furious with Minority Leader Lisa Demuth of Cold Spring, accusing Dems of going on a spending spree,” and they expect Minnesota taxpayers to foot the bill. At a time when family budgets are already stretched thin, this is unconscionable. Given the record $17.5 billion surplus, we should be passing meaningful tax relief and putting more money back in the pockets of Minnesotans. But instead, Democrats are using their one-party rule to ram through their partisan wish list and grow government spending by a record 40%. This isn’t what Minnesotans want or deserve.”

It has been three years since the last bonding bill was passed, and projects that needed funding then are likely in worse shape than now. Bonding money authorizes issuing bonds and other capital to pay for certain construction projects and infrastructure upgrades such as roads and bridges.

There is a projected record $17.5 billion budget surplus to work with, and Hortman says she would consider dipping into it to pay cash for some projects.

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