Fix it now! #movemn #mnleg pic.twitter.com/YHf1eqT10S
— Kris Fredson (@krisfredson) April 16, 2015
Update: after last week's stunt amendment during the transportation bill debate in the MN House, we've decided to cancel the whip count.
In House transportation bill clears first hurdle, Minnesota Public Radio's Catherine Richert writes:
Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL- Minneapolis, said that the Republican-backed bill relies too much on moving money from one pot to another.
“It’s a house of cards because we are shifting money from existing state expenses,” said Hornstein. “We’re shifting money from educating our kids, from nursing homes, from environmental protection and we’re taking it to transportation.”
The House bill also provides much less for mass transit than the governor’s plan, which would boost the sales tax in the metro area to fund transit projects.
Bluestem agrees, and as the House, Senate and the Governor begin to negotiate, we are curious if there's a possibility of some Republicans moving away from that house of cards, built on sand, and on to the more firm financial footing that the DFL and the Governor are recommending.
To help keep track as this essential legislation moves, we'll be conducting another people's whip count. Bluestem will be collecting statements from legislators in the press and filling in the right hand column, but we're asking readers to contact their state representatives about two questions related to funding transportation:
Do you support a gas tax increase for roads and bridges?
Do you support a metro-area sales tax increase for transit?
UPDATE: We've removed the rest of the post. Thanks to those who contacted their state representatives.
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