[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6558606,"mediaKeyId","3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a","parentId",3238210,"title","Department of Public Safety urges funding for recruitment, ignition‑interlock rulemaking and DVS transactions","audioSeconds",302,"startMs",5479000,"endMs",5781000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a&start=5479&end=5781","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a/thumbnail_5479000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6558606/Minnesota/Department-of-Public-Safety-urges-funding-for-recruitment-ignitioninterlock-rulemaking-and-DVS-transactions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558606-c97be567ac8e1a7a054a365abd0e710b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775395028&Signature=Mb9o-NQOdS4eoztN8yfc4MP1OskWg4CIGd9Lmoy~WIePSdm7DFQyg2dF9dt2Cfa412vLKMeGQ0Liaq6VcmrOI-WxxHDKF8xxR5mA7mXNa33d~VaSihaGfc5R63PgrQC42J4XgpXugxVJnaZZU17t08SY7EXtVaybSJ0LYCCP6DDAtR4KoP9IzSJa-9c9jvzG16nvFJD4Cqj-5-aZd291V049mHdhIWQZSanN06Ot14g552U8TkVldVo69p89D2dJA~F6B836qvfn-ffp7sYT2up6dRMz6s513yToZMJu3fBk8gFDLnWcW~MjtnvfAR38fL-i-qQuvCJBzCSS-84aKQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-05-09T09:03:33Z","article","Deputy Commissioner Cassandra O'Hearn testified for the Department of Public Safety, summarizing DPS priorities for the conference committee and urging adoption of funding levels and authorities that agencies say they need to operate.

\"The top priority this session for the department was our operating adjustment. It is critical as it pays employee salaries, rent, IT costs, and was proposed as a measured request,\" O'Hearn said, asking the committee to adopt the Senate position on that operating adjustment which follows the governor's recommended levels.

Why it matters: DPS manages state troopers, driver and vehicle services (DVS), traffic safety programs and other public‑safety functions. Funding and statutory authority changes affect staffing, public service availability and program enforcement.

Key DPS requests and concerns

- Operating adjustment: DPS told the conference it needs the operating adjustment to maintain employee salaries, rent and IT costs and prefers the Senate level aligned with the governor’s recommendation.

- Grant administration authority: DPS requested authority to use a set percentage of grant appropriations to administer grants, arguing this is necessary for oversight and to limit fraud, waste and abuse.

- State Patrol recruitment and academies: DPS asked conferees to fund trooper recruitment and hiring, and expressed a preference for funding two trooper academies per year going forward to sustain staffing levels.

- Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) items: DPS supported no‑fee transaction reimbursements for deputy registrars carried in both bills and asked the committee to adopt Senate rulemaking authority for the ignition‑interlock program. DPS opposed the House provision shifting blackout plate revenue out of existing accounts and recommended removing proposed DVS appointment/exam booking changes from the final bill, saying current exam availability is adequate and system changes risk reducing capacity.

- Traffic safety and seat belts on ATVs: DPS asked conferees to include a seat‑belt requirement for certain class 2 ATVs when operating on public right-of-way to reduce serious injury and fatalities.

Administrative and outreach items

O'Hearn thanked the chairs and committee staff, reiterated DPS's willingness to work with legislators and reminded members of an upcoming State Patrol Day at the Capitol.

Ending: DPS requested statutory and funding choices that sustain operations and allow the department to meet public‑safety obligations, and offered continued cooperation with conferees during reconciliation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Conference Committee on H.F. 2438 - Transportation Omnibus - 05/08/25","oneSentenceSummary","Deputy Commissioner Cassandra O'Hearn told the transportation conference committee that DPS’ top priority is an operating adjustment to pay core costs and avoid backsliding on services.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6558614,"Conference committee begins reconciliation of transportation finance spreadsheets; major differences in rail, bonds and one-time projects remain",1429,547000,1976000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a&start=547&end=1976","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a/thumbnail_547000.jpg","/articles/6558614/Minnesota/Conference-committee-begins-reconciliation-of-transportation-finance-spreadsheets-major-differences-in-rail-bonds-and-one-time-projects-remain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558614-b702b8e9d77db7088a498ab7feed711d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775395028&Signature=Tvwu651MkIuAfgA2izZFKaI~AsjXMdG1pvzoH9z7yozG~Pbi70wMzYbPRwBA~qLSz-8yLKY74vhYXMsJ8FJ-dyL2dtkjKEXIyO3qiUAD73N3fzmqaAq9NcJvt0eZPA3Ln97ct71HQCaTxK~U5F7oTWSVHuuaq9g9FwGuaCcP4GkvbdhLaIjm0u9CsDAGDFNqPWCDjgDZnGhF9QLXNWuVuedx3dcObGmxdAMv6bRqQd2mAGh5cuYzwqoUXAkm-rTRtAWOZLXqM397HoaB0BTLgUD9srfHDKUdqcQfMQ4mKunip0NAG3W9PJC4CM~MsMablg51gHwOZavIvVoSLvOQKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Minnesota Legislature’s transportation conference committee opened formal reconciliation work with a line-by-line walk-through of the conference spreadsheets for House File 2438 and Senate File 2082.

Andrew Lee, House fiscal staff, guided the committee through the budget comparison dated 05/07/2025, highlighting differences in appropriations, transfers and cancellations across aviation, passenger rail, state and local road funds and a number of one‑time project appropriations. \"So in your packet should be a legal, spreadsheet ... labeled transportation ... budget conference comparison,\" Lee told the panel as he began the review.

Why it matters: the spreadsheet lays out the substantive funding choices that will determine which projects move forward and which are delayed. Conferees must reconcile major line items to finalize the omnibus transportation package.

Most notable finance differences

- Passenger rail: the spreadsheet shows a large Senate-side cancellation amount for the Northern Lights Express (listed as about $185,700,000 on the Senate side) and differing reductions/extensions for other rail analysis projects; the House also shows a cut to passenger rail operations in the tails.

- Trunk‑highway bonds and debt service: the Senate includes authorization for roughly $100 million in additional trunk‑highway bonds, producing a notable increase to trunk‑highway debt service; the House does not match that authorization.

- House one‑time appropriations: the House position lists substantial one‑time project funding — including a $30 million one‑time appropriation for transportation economic development from the highway fund and a $50 million one‑time resilient pavement appropriation over the biennium.

- Local funding transfers and HUTD changes: the House shows transfers to trunk and county state aid funds (about $66.6 million each in the tails) and reductions to the active transportation account transfer; the Senate shows targeted local assistance and different statutory mechanisms for local road funding gap assistance.

- Electric vehicle surcharges and revenue allocation: the Senate proposal would increase EV registration surcharges with revenue deposited to the highway user tax distribution fund (an increase the spreadsheet shows as roughly $26 million in the first biennium and $56 million ongoing). The House would route a portion of surcharge revenue to a special revenue account.

Other items flagged by staff

Lee walked committee members through many line items: airport automated weather stations, Duluth air traffic tower funding on the House side, a federal match request for the Big Sky/North Coast corridor, reappropriations for Amtrak Chicago service and separate extensions or statutory delays for property‑tax transfers to the passenger rail account. The spreadsheet also shows recognition of revenue from cancellations in FY25 that are carried into FY26 as available revenue.

Next steps and schedule

Chair and conferees said the committee intends to return to policy differences in later sessions and to receive public testimony at a follow-up meeting. Members were advised that signups for public testimony would be accepted through 9 a.m. the next day and that written testimony of up to two pages could be submitted electronically for distribution.

Ending: The spreadsheet walk-through framed the conference priorities; reconciling the highlighted differences remains the committee’s immediate task.","Members of the Minnesota Legislature’s transportation conference committee opened formal reconciliation work with a line-by-line walk-through of the conference spreadsheets for House File 2438 and Senate File 2082.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6558601,"Metropolitan Council supports loan authority to MnDOT, permanent free Metro Mobility fares and procurement tools",162,3270000,3432000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a&start=3270&end=3432","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a/thumbnail_3270000.jpg","/articles/6558601/Minnesota/Metropolitan-Council-supports-loan-authority-to-MnDOT-permanent-free-Metro-Mobility-fares-and-procurement-tools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558601-75eff9911c961adfbf2034c1b8074918/orig.mp4?Expires=1775395028&Signature=lomalflEWRZr3he68nrGJA0aRgtZFJMTcJ4op8damwIa1hxJrhZnEzDclMBpVdwaw6cK-ZK9dZKHznqDr-u4BBY1Op2U0ed2sD8WRW9UcGBJsd3B7esluC0uM9mNGbw3zQj9Z07Bps9o5EfWanwYed2ldiRmluCbgaxcQFxziBeWVNPPNwffVacCkz--Bp~Lg0aGzEcJE3NCIO8gP-gJZb1p-0GkexWpTV7DrdQCzhW4FjCF0vJ1vDOToltQsecEpF9ocIihWK3x4G269GgkeKVLa3s3ZnbA9tHX3BLkoX8I1k48DL~MgnkshIseZB0cFTkYcpg5DLjhaMQy~YuEvw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Charlie Zelle, chair of the Metropolitan Council, told the transportation conference committee the council broadly supports many provisions in both House and Senate bills but flagged several priorities the council hopes to see in the final package.

\"Making fares for Metro Mobility riders permanently free on regular route transit. This would continue a pilot project that has been successful,\" Zelle said, describing the council’s support for continuing the pilot and making the change permanent.

Why it matters: The Metropolitan Council runs transit and planning in the Twin Cities region; changes to its contracting authority, revenue-sharing and fare policy can materially affect service delivery and the timing of locally significant transit projects.

Met Council priorities and positive provisions

- Loan authority and coordinated projects: Zelle praised language that would allow the Met Council to loan regional transportation sales‑tax revenues to MnDOT to advance coordinated projects — a tool the council said would improve efficiency for corridor projects (Zelle referenced advancing the F Line BRT in coordination with a state highway project).

- Metro Mobility fares: The council supports making free fares for Metro Mobility‑eligible riders on Metro Transit routes permanent, continuing a pilot the council said has been popular and may reduce overall Metro Mobility costs.

- Procurement authority and reporting streamlining: The council asked conferees to align statutory procurement tools so Met Council can access state small‑business procurement authorities that other state agencies enjoy. Zelle also supported Senate provisions that reduce redundant reporting and align agency reporting requirements to improve transparency and efficiency.

Zelle said the Met Council will continue to work with conferees on language and implementation details.

Ending: The Met Council thanked committee staff and conferees, offered continued technical cooperation and said it looks forward to working through outstanding fiscal and policy details in conference.","Metropolitan Council Chair Charlie Zelle told the conference committee the council supports authority to loan regional sales‑tax funds to MnDOT for coordinated projects, permanent free fares for Metro Mobility riders on regular routes and alignment of procurement preferences for small businesses.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6558609,"MnDOT warns conference committee that delayed greenhouse‑gas rules, rail cuts and asset targets would reshape construction program",408,4788000,5196000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a&start=4788&end=5196","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3238210-7e6c80ff95c91678df291e7e6aef5b5a/thumbnail_4788000.jpg","/articles/6558609/Minnesota/MnDOT-warns-conference-committee-that-delayed-greenhousegas-rules-rail-cuts-and-asset-targets-would-reshape-construction-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558609-57e1df3e3380225e12c5a4050b1a6a18/orig.mp4?Expires=1775395028&Signature=WRNsZvDrtKboc5jhS22DGjcAb477UrOzBGTNB5lpSAoIUZgPADog2E5ttl632PYUeiXiUyih4s6RA3dlzAnQDJq3wOwi3fruLc7Q6OLhdx3E45lQyUjP5TkjmEmcv1Y4cCwerAhKDBorOQeXEwSdtTTrvEeJd0JMFR0duzlLv5Tx9gD~LsoLCbhkwVjKoPMhIaH2~wO5jJJUDV~whq6tmAEDhxzOlY0xUH3p0UwtGOHxqiN6oiWYvlAAhVo~HqdNHCOuhSS4mMa5fOIoBbgwPOoevi-2bwAbfd1lBJMNCIl76K3f~BRPQQrYZ4CP8tV4E7lTZsMSbAZXsmvp-SNKoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nancy Daubenberger, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, testified to the transportation conference committee about agency priorities and concerns in reconciling House and Senate transportation bills.

\"The bill provides important investments to help construct, operate, and maintain Minnesota's transportation system in challenging times,\" Daubenberger told conferees, while also flagging several areas where the agency sees risks and tradeoffs.

Why it matters: MnDOT is the state agency charged with delivering highway, bridge and multimodal projects. Its assessment of program impacts informs what projects can be built, when, and what funding or programmatic changes would be required.

MnDOT's principal concerns raised to the committee

- Greenhouse‑gas and VMT provisions: Daubenberger said the House proposal to delay greenhouse‑gas and vehicle‑miles‑traveled (VMT) requirements for three years is \"concerning.\" She explained that transportation is the state's leading source of greenhouse‑gas emissions and that delaying statutory mitigation or offset requirements would shift accountability away from state and local governments that deliver transportation infrastructure.

- Passenger rail funding: MnDOT told the committee it is working with the Federal Railroad Administration and BNSF on the Northern Lights Express and other corridor work. The Commissioner said an $8.94 million House cut and larger Senate cancellations limit the department’s ability to support Borealis/Northern Lights service and multi‑state partnerships.

- Asset sustainability ratio and pavement funding: MnDOT said the Senate’s adjusted effective date for the asset sustainability ratio is an improvement but described the House target as triggering immediate, large shifts to pavement work. Daubenberger provided estimated resource impacts: meeting the House targets immediately would require shifting about $175 million to $240 million per year to pavement (8‑year total $1.4–$1.9 billion). The Senate timing change would still require an increase roughly in the $65–$80 million per year range over time and could reduce funding for freight, safety and other non‑pavement projects in the 2031–2034 period.

- Redirecting efficiency savings: MnDOT prefers the House approach to any redirecting of calculated efficiency savings; the Senate version that dedicates those savings to a \"quarters of commerce\" program would effectively reduce the existing state road construction program by about $90 million per year and shift roughly $15 million per year out of operations and maintenance budgets.

Daubenberger also asked the committee to consider workload and staffing needs tied to proposed new reporting and portal requirements, noting the project portal proposal would require additional staff to maintain live, updated program information.

What MnDOT will provide next

Daubenberger said MnDOT will continue to work with conferees on technical fixes and recommended striking statutory language that requires distribution calculations based on prior consecutive project selection rounds (Minn. Stat. § 161.088, subd. 4a). The department asked conferees to weigh tradeoffs carefully because meeting some policy targets would force the department to remove or delay other projects already scoped and in public engagement.

Ending: Daubenberger closed by offering technical input and asking conferees to consider the agency's operational constraints when finalizing statutory targets and funding allocations.","Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger told the conference committee that delaying greenhouse-gas and vehicle‑miles‑traveled (VMT) requirements, cutting passenger rail appropriations and imposing near‑term asset sustainability targets would substantially change MnDOT’s construction priorities and staffing needs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Department of Public Safety urges funding for recruitment, ignition‑interlock rulemaking and DVS transactions

Conference committee begins reconciliation of transportation finance spreadsheets; major differences in rail, bonds and one-time projects remain

Metropolitan Council supports loan authority to MnDOT, permanent free Metro Mobility fares and procurement tools

MnDOT warns conference committee that delayed greenhouse‑gas rules, rail cuts and asset targets would reshape construction program