The $800 million bonding bill vote was 69-64 in favor of passing, but it failed because it fell short of the constitutionally required 81 votes needed to pass.
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“This is kind of a plane Jane bill, it doesn’t have a lot of fluff in it, there’s no nightclubs in this bill”, said Rep. Paul Torkelson, chairman of the capital investment committee responsible for assembling the bill.
But minutes later, when asked if she was optimistic a bonding bill eventually will pass, she said: “I think so”.
This bill is more expensive than the $600 million budget Republicans had initially said they’d propose – but still way less than the Democrat-controlled Senate’s $1.5 billion bonding bill.
The failure Thursday afternoon of the House bonding bill is just another sign of the broad divide between Democrats and Republicans. The 2016 legislative session is scheduled to adjourn Monday.
Republicans took issue with Democrats blocking the bill even though several large-scale projects were in DFL districts, and said blocking the bill ultimately hurts efforts to get bonding passed overall. Higher education usually accounts for about a third of a bonding bill, but in this case it was only 16 percent, she said.
Democrats cried foul over what they saw as a partisan bill that predominantly benefited GOP legislative districts.
The GOP says the bill prioritizes fixing roads and bridges, higher education and water infrastructure – all things Democrats and Gov. Mark Dayton listed in their budget proposals.
Torkelson defended the bill as made up of Minnesota’s top priorities, though Democrats say the bill didn’t do enough to fund clean water efforts or address unsafe railway issues.
House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said Republicans never asked Democrats for input. Cloud, $18.5 million to renovate Eastman Hall at St. Cloud State University and $3.5 million for an oil train derailment training facility at Camp Ripley.
“What you have done is put together a bill that ignores what’s best for Minnesota in favor of what’s best for your political interests”, he said.
A bipartisan committee made up of members from both chambers can still iron out a compromise bill this year.
Friday morning, the leaders had almost set a target for a package of tax cuts, but were still working on a plan for the budget, and chairs of House and Senate committees went in and out of hearings waiting for word from leaders. “We have to have a reasonable figure of bonding”.
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Lawmakers hope to find agreements on a 10-year, $6 billion transportation funding package as well as a tax bill for this year.
