On Thursday, March 16, Senate Democrats forced a bonding bill to the Senate floor for a vote. This is the only bill that requires a 3/5 majority vote (41 votes) thus requiring seven Republican senators to vote for the bill. It failed to receive the necessary votes for passage. 

For weeks, Senate Republicans have made clear that we fully support a bonding bill, but we first need to see movement on tax relief. It is essential for us to invest in Minnesotans who are struggling right now before we mortgage $1.5 billion in taxpayer dollars. Yet halfway into the 2023 legislative session, the Senate Democrat majority has still made no meaningful moves to provide this much-needed financial relief. With a nearly $19 billion surplus, there is no reason to not give some of this money back to hard-working Minnesotans. This is one of several reasons why I was unable to support a bonding bill at this time. 

Additionally, the bonding bill, as it currently stands, does not provide the full funding our rural communities should be allocated. During the floor debate, you may have heard that around 29.1% of the funding in the bonding bill is for rural Minnesota communities. To have a balanced bonding bill, dollars must proportionally represent the population of metro and rural areas. Therefore, under the bonding bill that Senate Democrats want passed, rural Minnesota receives approximately $272 million fewer bonding dollars than we are due. 

Even though the bill did not pass this week, it’s important to note that the Senate immediately voted to reconsider the bill and lay it on the table. This procedural move allows the bill to continue to be worked on. That is why I am confident we are going to have a very good bonding bill this session, one that will provide rural Minnesota with our fair share. 

Please feel free to reach out to my office with any concerns or ideas you may have. I will continue to keep your thoughts and concerns in mind as session advances. You can contact my office at 651-296-8138 or at sen.gary.dahms@senate.mn.