House Transportation committee adopts two amendments and lays over bill that would bar state funds for Reconnect Rondo

The Minnesota House Transportation Policy Committee on an informational hearing adopted two amendments to and laid over House File 4494, a bill that would prohibit future state funding and claw back remaining state funds for the Reconnect Rondo land‑bridge project.

Representative West, who introduced the measure, told the committee that "we find ourselves in a tough fiscal situation" and said HF 4494 would "prohibit future funding and claw back any funding that's left for the Reconnect Rondo project." The committee adopted a technical A1 amendment and then approved an A2 amendment that would redirect any leftover funds to the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund; the committee then laid the bill over for further consideration.

The bill drew sharply divided testimony. Supporters of the prohibition framed the measure as fiscal restraint. John Phelan, an economist at the Center of the American Experiment, said the state is facing a multibillion‑dollar deficit and criticized planned spending on the project, saying Reconnect Rondo "will cost at least an estimated $450,000,000 on top of the $6,200,000 already appropriated." Representative West and others urged prioritizing statewide transportation needs.

Opponents called the…