A Look Into the Minnesota 2017 Jobs Bill

January 4, 2017

Melissa Lentz,

ST. PAUL – Governor Mark Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith, today, January 4, released their 2017 Jobs Bill, which would invest around $1.5 billion into community infrastructure projects and create 22,950 Minnesota jobs.

What Minnesotans Need to Know:

$3 Billion – Thanks to the Dayton-Smith Administration’s sound fiscal management over the last six years, the State of Minnesota has a AAA bond rating and over $3 billion in available bonding capacity for 2017-2018.

$1.5 Billion – The Dayton-Smith Jobs Bill would invest $1.5 billion in infrastructure projects statewide. The bill is well-within the state’s bonding capacity, protecting Minnesota’s financial standing and making critical investments in our state’s future.

$600 Million – The Dayton-Smith Jobs Bill is designed to make state resources go farther, by leveraging an estimated $600 million in private, local, and federal investment in Minnesota’s infrastructure.

240 Projects – The Dayton-Smith Jobs Bill includes 240 infrastructure projects across the state. It balances the needs of the entire state, with 35 percent of projects in Greater Minnesota, 30 percent in the Twin Cities Area, and 35 percent having impacts statewide.

22,950 Jobs – The infrastructure investments included in the Dayton-Smith proposal would help create an estimated 22,950 Minnesota jobs. This estimate is based on a revised 2015 Bureau of Economic Analysis model. The Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS) estimates that approximately 15.3 jobs are created for every $1 million in construction project spending in Minnesota.

$3.7 Billion – The Dayton-Smith Jobs Bill invests $1.5 billion in critical infrastructure projects statewide. But that is only a fraction of the need. Communities across Minnesota requested $3.7 billion in projects to improve their classrooms, provide better access to clean, affordable water, fix local roads and bridges, and more.

For more information on the bill and plans for Minnesota in 2017: http://mn.gov/governor/issues/jobs-bill/