On Thursday, March 16, Senate Democrats failed to find bipartisan support to pass a bonding bill off the Senate floor. The bill requires a 3/5 majority vote, which is 41 votes, and required 7 Republican senators to vote for the bill. It failed to garner even one Republican vote.

“The $17.5 billion surplus means that state government took far too much from Minnesota taxpayers,” Senator Cal Bahr (R-East Bethel) said. “That is why it is undeniably the wrong priority to mortgage $1.5 billion in taxpayer dollars before tax relief is passed. I am supportive of a bonding bill and know that there are many important infrastructure projects in our community. However, at the same time, we must deliver relief for families who continue to face skyrocketing inflation.”

After failing to pass the bonding bill, the Senate immediately voted to reconsider the bill and lay it on the table. This procedural move allows the bill to be brought up again without having to go through the committee process.

Two weeks ago, Senate Republican Leaders made clear they needed to see movement on tax relief before they voted for a bonding bill. Last week, Republicans attempted to bring a bill to eliminate the tax on Social Security to the floor, which was defeated on a party-line vote. On the same day the bonding bill was heard, Senate Democrats brought their own bill to eliminate the tax on Social Security in a procedural vote to move it one step forward. However, Democrats failed to take the bill up for an actual vote that would pass it off the Senate floor and send it to the House for consideration.