House DFLers weighed in with their version of the state borrowing bill on Monday, proposing nearly $1 billion in spending on a wide range of projects, including the Central Corridor light-rail line in the Twin Cities, expansion of the Duluth entertainment center and a host of undertakings for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota's other state colleges and universities.
The measure, known as the bonding bill, passed the House Capital Investment Committee Monday evening and is headed for the House floor, probably by Thursday. The Senate may vote on its version, which dedicates about the same amount of money but distributes it somewhat differently, as early as today. Action in the two houses would set the stage for reconciling the differences and presenting a bill to Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
The legislation is the result of evaluating and paring down more than $2 billion in requests from entities across the state. It is likely to be reduced even more when negotiations begin between legislative leaders and Pawlenty.
"Obviously, this is a much smaller bill and may be much smaller at the end of the process," said Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, chairwoman of the House Capital Investment Committee.
Construction infusion
Pawlenty has his own bonding proposal, the state's main mechanism for building projects and improvements, which is often regarded as a way to infuse financial energy into state construction.
"It is a recession and we believe this bill can put a lot of people to work," Hausman said.
While the total dollar amounts for the three proposals are similar, Pawlenty placed a much higher stake in transportation projects, including bridge restoration in the wake of the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge. House and Senate DFL majorities included the bulk of their transportation funding in a separate $6.6 billion transportation bill, which passed last week over the governor's veto.
