Committee approves referral of Northern Lights Express bill after hours of testimony and a roll‑call split

Representative Anderson offered House File 11 67 on March 19, a bill that would direct the Commissioner of Transportation to cease spending state funds for the study, planning, engineering, design and construction of the proposed Northern Lights Express (NLX) passenger rail service between the Twin Cities and Duluth. The committee adopted the author’s A‑1 amendment and, after several hours of testimony and debate, referred the bill to the Ways and Means Committee by a roll‑call vote (8‑7).

Why it matters: the bill addresses a high‑profile passenger‑rail proposal that already has a state set‑aside and was seeking federal competitive funding; passage out of the Transportation Committee moves the question to budget deliberations in Ways and Means. Supporters of continuing the project warned that withholding state match funds would forfeit federal grant opportunities; opponents argued the state faces pressing maintenance needs and operating subsidies could be substantial.

What the bill would do

House File 11 67 would prohibit further MnDOT expenditures on NLX planning, design and construction. Representative Anderson described the bill as a recognition of current fiscal constraints and a push to prioritize maintenance of existing infrastructure. He noted a prior 2011 MnDOT ridership estimate of about 700,000 annual trips and quoted a current cost estimate “almost $600,000,000” for construction; he argued operating subsidies at the 700,000‑rider level could be about $7 million annually and said updated ridership and cost assumptions merit close scrutiny before committing more state funds.

Arguments and testimony

Support for the project: St. Louis County Commissioner Keith Nelson, the St. Louis County Board chair Annie Harla and other supporters argued NLX is uniquely positioned for federal funding because the route uses existing BNSF tracks, that federal programs are prioritizing passenger‑rail expansion and that the project could create jobs and economic development. Joel Mueller of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen urged opposition to the bill, saying national intercity passenger‑rail ridership is at record highs and pointing to the Borealis Amtrak service’s early ridership gains.

Opposition to continued state spending: Representative Anderson and other objectors said past rail projects often come in under ridership projections and over cost estimates, questioned the fiscal prudence of committing more state dollars while the state faces significant maintenance gaps, and flagged freight/operational impacts and long‑term operating subsidies.

Roll‑call and committee action

The committee adopted Representative Anderson’s A‑1 amendment and then voted (roll call requested) to refer House File 11 67 to Ways and Means. The committee clerk read the roll call: yes votes from Chair Koznick, Vice Chair Meyers, Representative Anderson, Representative Fogelman, Representative Joy, Representative Murphy, Representative Olson and Representative Scribe; no votes from Representatives Berg, Green, Jones, Kraft, Rehm, Sensimura and Tabke. The clerk recorded the motion as passed 8‑7 and the bill as referred to Ways and Means as amended.

Ending note

Committee members expressed sharply divided views on the merits and affordability of NLX. The referral sends the bill into the budget process, where lawmakers will weigh the project’s federal match prospects against other state priorities and maintenance needs.