There’s no sign of agreement on a bonding bill for state public works projects, with only a week left in the regular session. Governor Tim Walz has proposed about two billion dollars and House Democrats have been tossing around a number in the three-billion-dollar range, while Senate Republicans have been talking about less than a billion. Democratic Senator Sandy Pappas says, “We’ve tried…. I’ve tried, and I’ve been met with nothing but silence.” Redwood Falls Republican Gary Dahms says a lot of the bonding bill will go for transportation infrastructure and college building repairs. “We’re poised to have a bonding bill and we’re poised to make some good decisions,” he says.
But the real glitch: House Republican leaders said they won’t let a bonding bill move forward unless Governor Walz relinquishes his emergency COVID authority and gives the legislature a greater role in responding to the pandemic.