This week, as part of their Advancing Minnesota agenda, Senate Republicans made significant headway in preparing the upcoming state budget with the passage of comprehensive transportation and higher education budgets.

“These budget bills will benefit those that travel our roadways, the thousands of Minnesota college students, and our state’s many colleges and universities,” said Sen. Andrew Lang (R-Olivia). “Passing the budget bills before the beginning of April will allow us to create a budget earlier in the session and avoid the last-minute chaos that the legislature saw last year.”

An investment of $3.17 billion in Minnesota college students and higher learning institutions over the next two years represents an increase of $100 million compared to the previous budget. In addition, community and technical colleges in rural Minnesota will receive supplemental funding, including $100,000 for area Ridgewater College. The Minnesota State system, which includes Ridgewater College, will receive $45 million more and will be required to institute a two-year tuition freeze. Funding for programs aimed at addressing our state’s shortage of qualified senior and health care workers, along with the teacher shortage felt in many rural communities, is included in the bill.

The transportation budget covers over 8,800 miles of road and 200 bridges with $1.3 billion in funding over the next two years and $3.6 billion over the next ten years. New, ongoing funding makes up $2.8 billion of the ten-year commitment; the other $766 million includes a mix of trunk highway bonding and federal grants. Cities, counties, and townships will receive special consideration with $148 million in combined funding over the biennium to spend as they deem fit.

“We are constantly behind the power curve in dealing with increasing workforce demands, and students are graduating with huge amounts of debt. Roads and bridges in all corners of the state are in disrepair and the lack of action in the past has made matters worse. We need to get this done now,” Sen. Lang continued. “These bills will do a lot of good for our entire state.”

In addition to the transportation and higher education budgets, the Senate also passed judiciary, agricultural, environment, jobs, and state government budgets. Budget discussions in the Senate are expected to continue next week.

Sen. Lang is serving his first term representing Senate District 17, which includes communities in Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Renville, and Swift counties in west central Minnesota.