Above: Hanson Boulevard. The rail grade crossing funding for this intersection passed previously.
Sen. Hoffman supports more funding in the 2018 bonding bill
ST. PAUL, Minn – Sen. John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) voted against a shortsighted bonding bill that short-changed Minnesotans. The legislation ignored urgently-needed investments in critical infrastructure and public safety in his district and across the state.
In response, Sen. Hoffman released the following statement:
“This bill was woefully inadequate and ignored too many important projects that would create jobs, help working families, students, seniors and veterans. It is extremely important that we take care of our infrastructure to protect Minnesota’s financial stability – this first bonding bill just did not do that.”
Senate Democrats reached across the aisle and offered an amendment to make vitally necessary improvements to the bill. The amendment included $5 million for the Ramsey Boulevard rail grade crossing. This would make this intersection accessible and safer for emergency vehicles. Unfortunately, the amendment failed. I am hopeful we will be able to work in a bipartisan manner to put together a fair and comprehensive bonding bill that recognizes the importance of preserving our state-owned assets. It must invest in badly-needed repairs and improvements to labs and classrooms at our state colleges and universities, and provide urgently needed funds for public safety training facilities and National Guard readiness centers to make our communities safer by providing training and education opportunities for our police officers, first responders, and firefighters.
Sincerely,
Senator John Hoffman
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call my office at 651-296-4154 or by e-mail at jhoffman@senate.mn.
