Rochester Republican Dave Senjem says the Minnesota Senate for the time being is *not* doing their annual tour of projects vying for state bonding money, as they try to conserve every possible dollar while the legal battle continues over Governor Mark Dayton’s veto of the legislature’s operating funds. Senjem says he hopes it can be resolved so they might be able to still make those visits. He says, “Absent that we’re going to have to do as well as we can, probably after the start of the year with public hearings and testimony from people either coming to Saint Paul, or quite possibly we might go to different corners of the state.”
The Minnesota House’s operating budget is in somewhat better shape and they *have* been able to do their usual statewide tours of bonding projects. Republicans are talking about a 2018 bonding bill under one billion dollars. It’s likely Democratic Governor Mark Dayton will want something larger.