Politics Friday: How to pay for roads, bridges and transit

Winter has taken its toll on Minnesota roads, leaving drivers to maneuver between dips and cracks in the street that seem to grow by the day. But making sure those potholes get filled is just one of the many issues involved with transportation.  

MPR News host Mike Mulcahy talks to Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, chair of the Transportation Finance and Policy committee in the House; and Rep. John Petersburg, R-Waseca, Minn., the committee’s lead Republican, about transportation spending. 

The state is set to get a billion-dollar boost for a total of nearly $9 billion over the next two years. While some of that money comes from the budget surplus, there are plans to find new sources of ongoing funding for roads, bridges and transit. 

Later in the program, the latest development on the marijuana bill that just passed the House and if there’s a future for legalize recreational cannabis in Minnesota. And political reporters will recap the biggest stories from the Capitol this week.

Guests:  

• Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis  

• Rep. John Petersburg, R-Waseca    

• Rep. Jess Hanson, DFL-Burnsville  

• Brian Bakst is a politics reporter for MPR News.  

• Briana Bierschbach is a politics reporter for the Star Tribune.  

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.