Minnesota House Republican leaders promise they’ll release their long-awaited bonding proposal for state public works projects this week, with about three weeks remaining in the legislative session. $800 million is the number being thrown around — about half of what Governor Mark Dayton has requested. House Speaker Kurt Daudt says their bonding proposal will include “needed projects that are timely, that need to get done this year, and then we’ll come back next year for another bonding bill.” Daudt indicates the bonding bill will include 200 million dollars for transportation projects. Democrats say that means there would be even less money for other badly-needed public infrastructure projects around Minnesota.
Although $800 million is the number being tossed around, Saint Cloud Representative Jim Knoblach says, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we maybe think that we could get by with even less, but that’s what the forecast has it at and what the assumption is.”