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| Date: | May 21, 2011 | | Contact Name: | Chris Van Guilder | | Contact Phone: | 651-296-1388 | | Contact Email: | christopher.vanguilder@senate.mn | | For Immediate Release | |
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| MINNESOTA SENATE APPROVES TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT |
St. Paul – The Minnesota Senate took another step toward finalizing budget bills, as the Transportation Conference Committee report passed Thursday, May 19. The legislation, House File 1140, is the omnibus transportation budget bill for Fiscal Year 2012-13. The bill contains over $4.5 billion in appropriations for state and local roads, public safety and transit over the next two years.
Senate Transportation Committee Chair Joe Gimse (R-Willmar) stated, “In times of financial difficulty it’s important that we use our economic means to fund our priorities, and today we passed a bill that does that. This legislation addresses Governor Dayton’s concerns of declining investments in our infrastructure and allocates our resources into road, bridge and highway projects throughout the state. This bill would create tens of thousands of direct jobs, and we encourage the governor to sign it.”
Significant provisions in the bill include:
· A $7.6 million biennial General Fund reduction to Greater Minnesota Transit, with services to the elderly and disabled held harmless.
o Combined with proceeds from the motor vehicle sales tax, Greater Minnesota Transit will actually receive a slight increase in funding from the current biennium.
· $20 million for a newly-created Trunk Highway Economic Development Account in the Trunk Highway Fund to promote economic development, relieve traffic congestion and increase employment.
o The account attaches transportation dollars to economic development in Minnesota and calls for an even distribution of funds to metro and Greater Minnesota communities.
· No reduction to funding for the Department of Public Safety; including the State Patrol, Driver and Vehicle Services, the Office of Traffic Safety, and the Office of Pipeline Safety.
· An additional $1.8 million is appropriated from the State Airports Fund.
· The Governor’s recommendations for MnDOT roadway funds; including $1.1 billion for county state-aid highways, $299 million for municipal state-aid streets, and $3 billion for the state’s trunk highway system.
· Suburban transit providers will receive the same amount of funding as 2011 levels.
To avoid service reductions and fare increases, the bill allows the Met Council to use its reserves for bus operations. The Met Council may use up to 100 percent of Livable Communities Funds and Right-of-Way Acquisition Loan Fund levies for transit operations, an increase from the Senate’s original position of 50 percent and 75 percent, respectively.
After passing in both the Senate and the House, the Conference Report will be sent to Governor Dayton for final approval.
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