MN State lawmakers worked together throughout the interim and first months of session to craft a jobs-targeted bonding bill capable of putting thousands of Minnesotans back to work. The legislature passed that bill (HF2700) with bipartisan support last week, capitalizing on historically low interest rates and project bids 20 to 30 percent lower than anticipated.

This past weekend, Gov. Tim Pawlenty used his line-item veto pen to cut $319 million from the bill, including $144 million from the state’s colleges and universities. He also vetoed $2 million for the Camp Ripley Veterans State Trail.

State Rep. Al Doty (DFL Royalton) expressed disappointment about the loss of funding for the trail.

Still, Doty is pleased that several other local projects were funded in the bill, including $3.3 million for construction of a Little Falls truck station; $1 million for design and renovation of the Camp Ripley Troop Support Facility; $6 million for the emergency response training facility at Camp Ripley; and $50,000 for trail paving at St. Mathias Park in Fort Ripley.

These projects, and others like them funded by this bill across our state, will get thousands of Minnesotans working again, said Rep. Doty. One job at a time, we will build a lasting recovery and move our state toward a better, more prosperous future.