Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Memorial Highway topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill to name highway for Melissa Hortman amid funding debate
Summary
Lawmakers advanced House File 3739 to designate a stretch of highway as a memorial to Melissa Hortman. Members debated whether sign costs should come from trunk‑highway funds or private/legislative funds; an amendment to use legislative funds was defeated and the bill was referred to Ways & Means.
House File 3739, carried in committee to memorialize a stretch of highway for former Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, drew both emotional testimony and practical fiscal questions.
The bill author described Hortman’s long service and the family’s choice of roadway (from the Mississippi River to Highway 94) and said the memorial would recognize her public service. Members expressed sympathy and support for memorializing Hortman, but several raised concerns about funding the signs with trunk‑highway funds. One amendment would have used legislative or private funds instead of trunk‑highway funds; that amendment was not adopted after debate.
Committee discussion included the expected cost of signage (members cited figures around $4,000 per sign), the geographic length of the proposed memorial (discussants estimated roughly 10–11 miles), and precedent for funding memorial signs. Some members suggested private fundraising or legislative contributions if taxpayers should not cover signage costs when previous memorials were funded privately.
Action: The committee referred the bill to Ways & Means for further fiscal consideration.
What’s next: Ways & Means will review fiscal implications and whether sign costs should be covered by trunk‑highway funds or other sources.
