Exciting Transportation Bill Passes MN House
This spring, Move Minnesota, Move Minnesota Action, our volunteers, advocates, coalition partners, and elected allies have been fighting hard for transit funding at the State Capitol. We know how important this is. And we’re happy to share that just last week, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed an exciting bill that will expand and improve transit, biking, walking, and rolling!
The House transportation bill (HF 1683), authored by Rep. Frank Hornstein, includes:
- Funding for reduced transit fares in July and August 2022
- $2 million for bus shelter improvements across the metro area
- A working group to deploy improvements like bus lanes and traffic signal prioritization to make local bus service quick and convenient
- $12 million for biking, walking, and rolling infrastructure
- Matching state funds for federal grants for electric buses
- Funding for Northern Lights Express passenger rail service from the Twin Cities to Duluth
- A pilot program for microtransit services in the Twin Cities suburbs for last mile connections
Big thanks to Rep. Hornstein and to everyone who supported this with us and made it happen!
As we celebrate this win in the House, we’re also looking ahead. There are just a few weeks remaining this legislative session. Big funding decisions for three new rapid bus routes and other critical projects are still on the line. Final budget negotiations are coming soon, and there is more work to be done to ensure our state lawmakers fund transit, biking, walking, and rolling to the fullest extent possible this session.
Get involved and stay tuned for future actions to keep this progress coming!