Senate Report by Dan Sparks

 

The legislative session is just around the corner, and although it’s a shorter session, we still have a lot of work to do. We completed our most important work already, by coming together and passing a balanced budget in 2019 that funded state agencies and operations. My colleagues and I will now need to come together to work on policy changes and our most important focus for 2020, a capital investment bill.

The capital investment bill, or as it’s more commonly called, the bonding bill, uses state bonds to fund important projects throughout the state. Cities, counties, agencies and other municipal organizations make requests to fund projects in the public interest. These requests take all shapes for pieces of public infrastructure and other assets. They can range from roads and bridges, to science centers at colleges, to state parks and trails.

Though it will be our focus for 2020, the work going into the bonding bill began in 2019. As a member of the Capital Investment Committee, I had the privilege to host my colleagues when they toured our area this fall on one of several bonding tours the committee did to see projects firsthand. This helps legislators better understand the need for these projects, and to hear from local advocates about the positive impact of state investment.

Our area has several bonding requests seeking state funding. Two of them received a major boost by being included in the governor’s initial bonding bill proposal, which was recently released. One was for flood mitigation to address persistent flooding issues with U.S. Highway 65, while the other was for the Blazing Star Trail. While the governor’s bill is not the final bill, it certainly helps the chances for these projects to be included in the bill the Legislature ultimately passes.

In addition to these projects, I am carrying legislation for an additional project for Albert Lea and the Shell Rock River Watershed District. Throughout my time in the Senate, I have been working with local partners to address issues with clean-up of Fountain Lake, including through past bonding bills. This year, we are hoping to secure further funding to finish dredging and cleanup of the lake to improve water quality.

I look forward to working together with my colleagues to create a bonding bill that balances the many statewide needs we face, to put communities first and to make sure we are making real investments in our infrastructure. A bonding bill requires a three-fifths supermajority to pass in both bodies of the Legislature — and the only way that can happen is by working together.

While the bonding bill is the major focus of this upcoming session, it will not be the only one. We have unfinished work to do on addressing the cost and access of prescription drugs and insulin, and we will have other unexpected policy issues that arise. Please reach out to my office if you have questions, comments, concerns or any issues on your mind that you want us to be addressing at the Capitol.

Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, is the District 27 senator.