Caledonia Argus

$418 million Senate bonding bill defeated

Posted: 4/29/03

by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

A Senate bonding bill promising $418 million in investments went down to defeat Thursday (April 24), failing by seven votes to gain the supermajority needed to pass.

Some $357 million of the bill was made up of projects vetoed last year by former governor Ventura.

Included in the bill was a $10 million placeholder amount for the Northstar Commuter Rail Line.

The largest benefactor was MnSCU and the University of Minnesota. Some $70 million was slated to higher education in the bill.

ìThe emergency is the economy,î said Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, bill author and Senate capital investment committee chairman.

Langseth argued the current economy is ideal for a bonding bill. Contractors bids, in a slower economy, come in low, he said.

But Republicans challenged the rational of having a bonding bill.

ìThis doesnít help the private sector whatsoever,î said Sen. Michael Jungbauer, R-East Bethel.

A good part of the Senate debate focused on Northstar. Sen. Mady Reiter, R-Shoreview, proposed an amendment requiring MnDot to have an agreement with the Burlington, Northern Sante Fe railroad about the cost of running commuter rail on the railroads tracks.

Sen. Don Betzold, DFL-Fridley, told Reiter if she was against the Northstar, fine. But quit trying to harm the project.

ìThe rest of us who represent the northern suburbs want this done,î said Betzold.

Reiterís amendment failed by a wide margin.

But Republican support for the bill remained elusive. Senate Minority Leader Dick Day, R-Owatonna, called it a ìhugeî bill for an emergency bonding bill.

Speaking after the defeat of the bill, Langseth expressed disappointment with Republicans.

The bill moved through two Senate committees without a single negative vote, he said.

ìIf they want to bring it back at some point, should they be trashing it like a useless piece of junk,î asked Langseth.

ìWhich is basically what Dick Day did,î he said.

ìEverything is a total lack of class,î he said of Republican involvement with the bonding bill.

Some Senate Republicans, including Sen. Bob Kierlin, R-Winona, have publicly come out in favor of a bonding bill.

Kierlin said he still wants a bonding bill and believes one will still emerge this session ó part of larger global negotiations.

ìWeíre trying to negotiate something to get passage,î he said.

House Republican leadership opposes having a bonding bill this session.

But some Republican House members would like to see a bonding bill. Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, said he hopes the House has a bonding bill.

Abeler guesses that a bonding bill in the House could reap a hundred votes.

Yet House capital investment chairman Rep. Phil Krinkie, R-Shoreview, called the senate bonding bill irresponsible.

ìIt appears that the Senate DFLís priority is not balancing the budget but adding to our state debt,î said Krinkie.

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