Governor Tim Pawlenty today released his full bonding proposal for the 2006 legislative session, putting the focus on projects to enhance Minnesota's quality of life with statewide impact.  The proposal is $811 million in general obligation bonding, with a total of $897 million when user-financed bonds, trunk highway bonds, and cash amounts are included. 

"Enhancing Minnesota's future means preserving what we have and making strategic, smart decisions on what's going to most impact our great quality of life," said Governor Pawlenty.  "We've worked to keep the proposal affordable and responsible while setting priorities."

The bonding package includes funding for five key quality-of-life areas:

Investments in Education - $289.3 million
"Investment in our education system is important to improving Minnesota's competitiveness," Governor Pawlenty said.  Funding includes: 
- $127.6 million for the University of Minnesota.
o $40 million for higher education asset preservation and replacement (HEAPR), to maintain university facilities throughout the state
o $26.6 million for new facilities for the Carlson School of Management
o $15.3 million for a new building for the Labovitz School of Business and Economics (Duluth campus)
o $41.3 million for a new Science Teaching and Student Services building
o $4.3 million for design of a new medical bioscience building   
- $142.5 million for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
o $20 million for higher education asset preservation and replacement (HEAPR), to maintain MnSCU facilities across the state
o $32.9 million for a new science addition to Trafton Hall at Minnesota State Mankato
o $14 million for a new addition to the Wick Science Building at St. Cloud State University
o $19.9 million for a new science and library building at Century College

o $18.9 million to renovate a nursing and allied health training center and to create a science lab and classroom facility at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College
o $11.2 million for renovation of Winona State University's Maxwell Hall
- $19.2 million for K-12 Education projects
o $10 million for Red Lake school district facility improvements
o $8.1 million for Minnesota State Academies which includes funding for asset preservation and for renovation of Frechette Hall on the campus of the Academy for the Deaf
o $1.1 million for asset preservation for Perpich Center for Arts Education

Water, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources - $209.3 million
"Protecting and improving Minnesota's beautiful natural resources has been one of our top priorities since the beginning of my term," Governor Pawlenty said. "This package builds on the solid foundation our administration has built in the area of conservation and the environment."  Funding includes:
- $54.1 million for loans and grants for drinking water and wastewater treatment facility improvements
- $11.2 million to deal with dangerous landfills for environmentally friendly methods of solid waste disposal through the Pollution Control Agency
- $35 million to DNR for funds to acquire, develop and protect fish, wildlife and plant habitats
- $30.2 million to continue our efforts to put 120,000 sensitive acres under the federal CREP program through the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR)
- $4.2 million to replace lost wetlands due to road construction
- $21 million to the Minnesota Zoo
- $19.7 million to Met Council and DNR for state and regional park acquisition and facilities improvement
- $9 million for acquisition and construction of fisheries, fishing piers and water fowl habitat structures 
- $2 for state trail acquisition, rehab and repair
- $11 million for flood mitigation and dam safety
- $1.5 million to upgrade Agriculture/Public Health laboratory to ensure that scientists can safely test for infectious diseases such as avian influenza  

Jobs, Housing and Transportation - $203.8 million
Funding proposals from the Governor include:
- $60 million to complete funding for the Northstar Commuter rail line
- $8.3 million for construction of Park and Ride and passenger facilities on I-35W
- $5 million to continue work on the Cedar Avenue Transitway
- $2.5 million for the Central Corridor transitway
- $30 million for local bridge replacement and repair
- $10 million to assist cities, counties and townships with local road improvements
- $18 million in Trunk Highway bonding for construction of a new district headquarters in Mankato to improve highway construction and maintenance  
- $6.9 million in Trunk Highway bonding for construction of a new truck station in Chaska
- $25 million for permanent supportive housing to help solve the problem of chronic homelessness 
- $13 million for the redevelopment grant program that provides funds to local governments to help renew old commercial and industrial sites
- $10 million for the Bioscience Business Development program including $8 million for the Rochester bioscience development center
- $7.5 million for Greater Minnesota business development infrastructure grants  
- $6.7 million for urgent repairs to state and locally owned historic sites

Safer and Healthier Communities - $150.7 million 
"This package reflects our commitment to keeping Minnesotans safe," Pawlenty said.  Funding includes:
- $44.6 million for design and construction of the first phase of an expansion of the Minnesota Sex Offender Program at Moose Lake, including a 400 bed residential structure and treatment space for civilly committed individuals
- $15 million for systemwide improvements to regional treatment centers, including security upgrades, asset preservation, maintenance and campus reuse and redevelopment efforts
- $6 million for systemwide asset preservation to ensure that Veterans Homes facilities are properly maintained 
- $5.3 million for renovation and remodeling of the Minneapolis Veterans Home kitchen and dining room, to update facility and add capacity
- $28 million to continue expansion and renovation of the Faribault prison
- $19.6 million to provide a new, high security 150 bed segregation unit at Stillwater prison
- $10.3 million to build a fence and security system and add 92 beds for female offenders at Shakopee prison 
- $10 million for systemwide asset preservation
     
Effective Government and Public Services - $41.3 million
Funding proposals from the Governor include:
- $8.6 million  for improvements at armories and military facilities throughout the state
- $10.2 million in trunk highway bonding improvements to the exterior of the MnDOT building  
- $6.2 million for seven projects to improve Capitol complex buildings
- $7 million for infrastructure design to support new energy and steel plants in Itasca County - this funding replaces local support that might otherwise have come from the 21st Century Mineral Fund
- $2 million for land acquisition at the St. Cloud regional airport
- $3 million for Bemidji Events Center design
- $1 million for a Renewable Energy Clean Air Project in Koochiching County
   
Governor Pawlenty noted the package as a whole distributes approximately 60 percent of the funds for projects in Greater Minnesota and 40 percent in the seven-county metro area.

For full details on the bill visit www.finance.state.mn.us.