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House Democrats had originally wanted automatic, future gas tax increases tied to inflation. Senate Republicans wanted to dedicate more sales tax revenue to transportation. Neither plan happened.

“Certainly, on the House side, we’re disappointed that we don’t have ongoing, sustainable funding for our transportation system. That was important to us,” said Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, who chairs the House transportation committee.

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Hornstein is looking at other areas of the bill as victories. It increases spending by $220 million and additionally authorizes $413 million in trunk highway borrowing. Hornstein is particularly pleased with new money for transit, including two new bus rapid transit lines.

“We were able to at least secure funding for important transit and road priorities,” said Sen. Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, who chairs the Senate transportation committee — noting there is $57 million for bus rapid transit in the bill. Newman said he is much more supportive of bus rapid transit than he is of the light rail.

“Express buses, that’s probably a very good idea, because it isn’t in a fixed guideway,” Newman said. “It can be moved, and buses are a lot cheaper than trains.”

Newman said the bill also calls for a task force to look at future transit needs in the post-COVID-19 world.

“Maybe we aren’t going to need the kind of transit in the 21st century that we thought we were going to need in the 20th century,” he said.

Trains do get some money. The bill includes $10 million for the effort to bring a second daily Amtrak passenger train between St. Paul and Chicago. There’s also a provision to boost the state rail inspection program, and the often-criticized Northstar commuter rail line will keep rolling.

Debates sparked about its future

The bill provides money to the Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Council and Department of Public Safety (DPS). The DPS allocation includes pay raises and body cameras for state troopers, upgrades to state Capitol security, kiosks for license tab renewals and a pilot project for same-day issuing of drivers licenses. 

There’s new money for the Safe Routes To School Program and stop-arm cameras for school buses. 

The bill will keep state agencies busy in the coming months forming task forces and writing reports to the Legislature. The topics include transportation revenue and expenditures, spending for driver’s license exam stations, work zone speed management and permissible uses of Trunk Highway Fund dollars.

The legislative session is dragging toward a July 1 deadline to enact a new budget or shut down parts of state government.

The Senate has to wait for the House to pass the bill before it can take action, but senators talked about the bill Tuesday.  

Sen. Zach Duckworth, R-Lakeville, said the bill funds important road projects in his district, and he praised the additional money for the State Patrol.

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“Sometimes I think we lose sight of just how important and critical of a resource and an asset this organization and these men and women are to the state of Minnesota,” Duckworth said.

Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL- Minneapolis agreed there are a lot of good things included in the legislation, but added that he too was disappointed that there was no long-term funding element. 

“We’ve been trying to do that for many years now, and we continue to try that, Dibble said. “But we really do need a long-term, sustainable source of revenue.”

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Tim Pugmire

Author

Minnesota lawmakers entered negotiations on a transportation budget bill with competing plans to get more ongoing money into the system for roads, bridges and transit. Instead they’ll vote on a plan with a one-time increase in spending. 

Long-term funding for roads still elusive at Capitol

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