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| Date: | June 16, 2011 | | Contact Name: | Chris Van Guilder | | Contact Phone: | 651-296-1388 | | Contact Email: | christopher.vanguilder@senate.mn | | For Immediate Release | |
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| SENATE AND HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE CHAIRS LAUNCH STATEWIDE TOUR IN SUPPORT OF TRANSPORTATION FUNDING |
St. Paul – Facing a potential halt to the summer road construction “season,” Transportation Committee Chairs Sen. Joe Gimse (R-Willmar) and Rep. Mike Beard (R-Shakopee) launched a statewide tour Thursday to encourage Gov. Dayton to re-examine his veto of the Omnibus Transportation Finance bill. The two legislators will visit Minnesota Department of Transportation district offices, road and infrastructure project sites and area construction businesses as they discuss the Omnibus Transportation Finance bill and its impact on public and private sector employees throughout the state.
“The governor’s veto of the Transportation Finance bill threatens existing infrastructure projects, hundreds of future projects and the tens of thousands of well-paying, public and private sector jobs that come with them,” commented Chairman Gimse. “With a potential shutdown on July 1st, we now face a reality that the state may have to lay off employees, put thousands of current and pending contracts on hold, and sideline tens of thousands of jobs indefinitely. To shut down this large scale effort over less than 2 percent disagreement on the entire bill is not the leadership Minnesotans deserve and expect.”
Those affected by a shutdown include the 4,878 employees at the Department of Transportation, 1,961 at the Department of Public Safety (which includes the State Patrol), and the contractors and vendors working with the State of Minnesota who may see their critical work activity suspended or limited.
The legislators will begin travel on Monday, June 20 in Baxter, MN. They will visit all MNDOT district headquarters, plus other construction and infrastructure sites over the next eight days.
Additional times, locations and information will be detailed to local and regional media as the tour progresses.
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