House hits pause on transportation bill debate at close of busy week

The House tabled the omnibus transportation finance bill Friday with floor debate on the legislation expected to resume Monday.

More than 50 amendments had yet to be debated when the House moved to adjourn shortly after 3 p.m. in observance of the Passover holiday.

Sponsored by Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls), HF1555 proposes to raise the state’s per-gallon gas tax by 20 cents over four years to fund an additional $1.6 billion in road and bridge maintenance during that timeframe. It would also increase tab fees and bring the state’s motor vehicle sales tax in line with other state sales taxes to fund additional transportation infrastructure spending.

Public transportation would also see a funding boost under the bill. It would direct the Metropolitan Council to collect a half-cent, transit-dedicated sales tax to raise roughly $400 million in the next biennium to fund increased transit service and additional projects.

In total, the bill would appropriate roughly $7.3 billion during the 2020-21 biennium toward the state’s highways, bridges, local roads, railways, public transportation systems, airports and the Department of Public Safety.