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Republicans pleased with session

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota special session that came to close Friday morning was hailed by Republicans as a productive one, with Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska) especially pleased with the Transportation bill.

Members of the House and Senate passed seven bills during the special session: taxes, transportation, state government, health and human services, K-12 Education, bonding, and Labor Standards.

The transportation bill has been a dream of state legislators for last several years with bipartisan support, but the funding source and allocation of the money has prevented any bills from passing. Gov. Mark Dayton has originally proposed a gas tax to support the transportation bill, but a budget compromise was reached to fund the road and bridge investment using existing funds.

“This historic transportation deal is a victory for Minnesotans who have waited for years for legislators to come together to fund our roads and bridges,” Torkelson said.

The funding also continues the Small Cities Assistance Program, which assists towns with fewer than 5,000 residents with their street repair projects.

Torkelson also cites the Tax Relief Bill, which promises to deliver $650 million in tax relief to Minnesota families over the next two years.

The passage of the omnibus tax bill includes a number of special law request from cities including the New Ulm sales tax expansion for Reinvest in New Ulm (RENU) projects. Sleepy Eye received authorization for its special lodging tax through the bill.

Gov. Dayton has 14 days to sign or veto the bills passed by legislatures. At this time the Labor Standards bill is expected to receive a veto. Dayton previously said he would veto a bill barring cities from enacting minimum wage ordinances.

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