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The Minnesota AFL-CIO is praising Governor Mark Dayton’s proposal to invest $1.5 billion in community infrastructure projects statewide, creating an estimated 22,950 jobs.
Dayton and Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith announced the plan Wednesday, a day after the Legislature convened for the 2017 session.
“As we have come to expect, Governor Dayton has started the Legislative session by putting working Minnesotans first,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy. “His plan to expand and improve our public infrastructure will create tens of thousands of family sustaining jobs and widen economic opportunity in every corner of our state.
“While Minnesotans may differ on many issues, we all value the vital public infrastructure that keeps our drinking water clean, our colleges and universities competitive, and our communities safe.
“Minnesota’s working people call on lawmakers of both parties to pass a large jobs and infrastructure bill early this session.”
The proposal addresses many of the state’s critical infrastructure needs, including essential water infrastructure, farming operations, college and university facilities, and community buildings that are the drivers of economic opportunity across Minnesota. View a complete list here.
Some 35 percent of projects would be in Greater Minnesota, 30 percent in the Twin Cities area, and 35 percent having impacts statewide, the governor said, adding that it would leverage more than $600 million in private, local and federal investment in Minnesota’s infrastructure.
“My proposals would put thousands of Minnesotans to work throughout our state, increasing economic opportunity and strengthening local economies,” said Dayton.
The State of Minnesota has a triple-A bond rating and over $3 billion in available bonding capacity for 2017-2018, according to the governor’s office.