Minnesota Legislature passes bonding bill

Governor Walz issued a proclamation last week calling the legislature into the fifth special session of 2020, on October 12, to extend the COVID-19 Peacetime Emergency for another 30 days. 

During the four-day special session the legislature also passed four bills, including a capital investment bonding bill. The bill contains over $75 million in general obligation funding for the U of M, including: 


• $38.495 million for asset repair and maintenance across the system (HEAPR)
• $29.2 million to replace the Child Development Building on the Twin Cities campus
• $4.4 million to renovate AB Anderson Hall on the Duluth campus 
• $3.3 million to renovate the Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory on the Twin Cities campus

The legislation also provides the University with authority to refinance existing debt and use the savings to support the design, site acquisition, and preconstruction of a clinical research facility on the Twin Cities campus. The total funding available to the U of M in this legislation, including the debt service savings, is over $104 million, and the legislation supports all five of the Board of Regent’s 2020 capital priority projects. We expect the governor will sign this bill into law. 

Passing a bonding bill nearly five months after the regular session adjourned is unique, especially so coming less than three weeks before an election. We are grateful to the Minnesota Legislature, Governor Walz, and Lt. Governor Flanagan for continuing to work on the bonding bill these many months, and we are especially thankful to the Board of Regents, President Gabel, our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and supporters across the state who continued to engage lawmakers in support of the University of Minnesota.

Although this is the last time the legislature will meet before the election, they may be back again in November. In order to extend his emergency powers, Governor Walz will need to call a sixth special session on or before November 12.