Speaker of the House
Steve Sviggum

(St. Paul, MN...) House Republican leaders today unveiled their 2000 Capital Investment Bill calling it a balanced bill that meets the $400 million cap put forth by Governor Jesse Ventura. The House bill, however, proposes 50 percent more spending for higher education than the Governor and more evenly distributes that money throughout the state.

"We are proud to bring forward this fiscally conservative bill that is less than half the size of the 1998 effort," said Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum. "House Republicans have met the spending challenge of Governor Ventura and now we look forward to working with him on the specifics."

Republicans noted that the bill was put together using new criteria passed into law last year for funding local projects. In the past, bonding bills have funded local projects that were easily labeled "pork spending."

"This is a solid bill that benefits the whole state," said Rep. Jim Knoblach, Chair of the House Capital Investment Committee. "In order for a local project to get in this bill, it had to meet the new criteria passed last year in House File 726."

The new criteria focused on requiring projects to have a statewide significance, local matching funds wherever possible, and not commit the state to ongoing funding.

Other important characteristics of the 2000 House Bonding Bill include:

Balanced: The Committee made great efforts to ensure that funding in the 2000 Bonding Bill was balanced between districts represented by DFL and GOP legislators. As a result, 22 percent of the projects in the House bill are in GOP districts, 20 percent are in DFL districts and 58 percent are in areas which cover both GOP and DFL districts.

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Statewide Emphasis on Higher Education: House Republicans were concerned about the Governor's recommended spending for higher education in Minnesota. The Governor proposed roughly $100 million in funding between metropolitan-area MnSCU schools and the University of Minnesota, without one dollar for schools in Greater Minnesota. Our bill provides 50 percent more funding and more evenly distributes it throughout the state.

More for K-12 Education: The Governor proposed $34.1 million. House Republicans propose nearly $50 million.

Leaving an Environmental Legacy: The House Republican Bonding Bill closely matches the Governor's placement of $80.74 million toward the Legacy Initiative, a $192 million environmental package supported by a number of environmental groups this year. However, the House Republican plan also includes wastewater infrastructure funding, an item critical to smaller communities in their efforts to protect the environment.

Better Bridges, Safer Roads: The House Republican Bonding Bill provides $44 million for bridge repair and replacement across Minnesota, which would fix up 670 bridges. This is part of the House Republicans' commitment toward improving our state's roads and bridges with an infusion of about $400 million in Minnesota's transportation infrastructure this year. Last year, House Republicans committed $10 million for local bridges, however, the provision was vetoed by Governor Ventura.

Crime: The House Republican Bonding Bill provides funding for 100 additional beds to house sex offenders at Saint Peter Hospital.

The bill also allocates $27.9 million toward funding for a new Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) lab building. It also redirects the remaining unspent funds from past appropriations (roughly $2.1 million) toward the project, bringing the total to $30 million.

"The 2000 Bonding Bill represents another example of how things have changed since Republicans took control of the Minnesota House," added House Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty. "This bill is half the size, without the pork spending, and based on principles, not politics."