Democrats propose $1.5 bonding plus $400M cash from surplus for state public works projects

Democrats at the legislature propose1.5 billion dollars in borrowing for state public works projects, plus 400 million dollars from the budget surplus.  House Capital Investment Chairman Fue Lee from Minneapolis says it’s unfinished business from last year, when a bonding bill didn’t pass due to legislative deadlock  —  and Lee wants a second bonding bill this year  He says, given Governor Tim Walz’s proposed overall 3.3-billion-dollar number…

“I think as a very minimum, asking for 1.4 billion (dollars additional) for a May 2023 is not out of the question.”

Democrats need Republicans’ help to authorize borrowing for state public works project — but not if they pay cash from the budget surplus:

“Heard from the (House) Speaker (Melissa Hortman) all along before session that, if we can’t get the minority caucuses to work with us, that it’s not out the question for us to do all general fund cash.”

But that would pull money away from Democrats’ other priorities.  And G-O-P Senator Karin Housley from Stillwater said earlier that Democrats doing it that way would be “an abuse of their one-party control” and “a terrible disservice to the state.”