Governor Tim Walz this morning rolls out the final parts of his bonding request to the legislature, for public safety and asset preservation, plus what he dubs his “Quality of Life” package. It’s expected those areas will take his total bonding proposal to right around two billion dollars — significantly more than Senate Republicans say they’re comfortable with. The governor said Monday about his 447-million-dollar request for higher ed buildings, “We know that the return on our dollars is about 10-fold or better. We understand that these are critical infrastructure needs.”
Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka responds, “I am committed to making sure that we have a bonding bill. There always is a bit of compromise, and especially with a divided government.”
How much each side will have to compromise, remains to be seen. The legislature begins the 2020 session February 11th.