House committee places omnibus transportation bill on general register after amendments addressing trunk highway funding and e-bike rebates

The House Ways and Means Committee on April 23 approved House File 2,438, the omnibus transportation finance bill, for placement on the general register after adopting an A21 (co‑author) amendment that corrected technical drafting issues and implementation details.

Committee authors said the bill aims to make roads safer, improve maintenance planning and protect key programs while reducing pressure on future bonding. Chair Kosnick and co‑chair Cagle described a package that they said contains both Republican and Democratic priorities, including funding for EV infrastructure, protection of Metro Mobility, safe routes to schools and an air‑traffic control tower at the Duluth airport.

The A21 amendment clarified trunk highway fund balance language to align with MnDOT guidelines; corrected a debt‑service figure; realigned Department of Public Safety communications reductions to the proper office; adjusted implementation details for an e‑bike rebate (including verifying income after a lottery to reduce administrative burden); and removed an appropriation for armor towers that will be pursued in the public safety bill instead of the transportation bill.

Chair Kosnick told the committee MnDOT projects a roughly $1.1 billion per‑year maintenance funding gap to maintain the state’s current road system and that the bill includes measures intended to reduce the bonding committee’s demand by more than $100 million. “By building smarter, investing a little bit more early on, we can double the life of the programs,” he said in describing a resilient pavement provision meant to be material‑neutral (suitable for either asphalt or concrete).

Members queried provisions on the North Star commuter rail line and greenhouse gas implementation. Chairs said the bill did not include direct action to continue North Star operations; MnDOT and the Met Council had been publicly working on whether to terminate North Star operations and reallocate service by bus. On greenhouse gas planning, the bill pauses project‑by‑project implementation and delays broader portfolio rollout for 12 months; chairs said the pause shifts the portfolio readiness date and delays some project impacts by up to three years to allow more time to examine mitigation and offset mechanisms.

The committee adopted the A21 co‑author amendment by voice vote and advanced HF 2,438 as amended to the general register by voice vote. Nonpartisan staff were authorized to make technical adjustments to reflect the committee’s intent.

Ending: Chairs said they expect further stakeholder engagement as the bill moves to the floor and into conference negotiations.