Representative Terry Morrow ensured emergency funding for Greater Minnesota transit operations facing immediate cash-flow problems, including Trailblazer Transit in Sibley County. This funding is part of the Transportation Finance bill agreed upon this weekend by the Transportation Conference Committee, on which Representative Morrow served.

On Monday, the House of Representatives passed the bill in a 103-30 bipartisan vote.We learned over a month ago that 22 Greater Minnesota transit operations were facing an ‘acute crisis,’ according to MnDOT, because of rising ridership and funding problems. These bus operators, like Trailblazer Transit, get folks where they need to go, help our businesses, and enable people live in their homes and still get to where they need to go.

The Transportation Finance conference committee, consisting of five senators and five representatives, struggled to limit the impact of budget cuts to transit and transportation. Proposed cuts to state patrol and security personnel were replaced by spreading the cuts to other MnDOT, Metropolitan Council, and transit areas. Federal recovery funds for road and bridge construction helped the committee balance the transportation budget. The Governor is expected to sign the bill.

It was a long weekend of negotiations and number crunching. There’s no avoiding the fact that the state budget shortfall means real cuts to real programs that will affect Minnesotans. While it was tense at times, everyone involved was committed to making the cuts and balancing the impact as much as possible.

Representative Morrow, as Assistant Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, continues to build upon his leadership in transportation issues. In addition to his role on the Transportation Finance conference committee, Representative Morrow is a member of the State Rail Plan group and is carrying significant transportation-related legislation this session.