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Read. Follow. Verify.Minnesota House halts light rail transit spending statewide with temporary moratorium
Last action · February 24, 2025: Author added GillmanSponsors: Kristin Robbins and 18 others
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What This Bill Proposed
The Minnesota House establishes a temporary moratorium prohibiting the from spending any funds on for light rail transit capital projects across seven metropolitan counties. The restriction applies to planning, design, engineering, environmental analysis, land acquisition, and construction. Exemptions are provided for the Southwest light rail transit project and prior contractor payments.
Stops all spending on new or ongoing light rail development across seven Minnesota counties until the Southwest light rail transit project begins operation, affecting regional transit planning, county expenditure allocations, and contractor project timelines.
- The Metropolitan Council is the regional policy-making body, planning agency, and provider of services for the Twin Cities metropolitan area in Minnesota. context
- The Southwest Light Rail Transit (Green Line Extension) project is a major METRO system expansion connecting downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Metropolitan Council
Must halt all expenditures of funds for project development activities on applicable light rail transit capital projects.
Transit contractors
Cannot receive new project development funds unless payments are for work performed prior to the effective date or connected to the exempt Southwest project.
Residents of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington counties
Experience a suspension of regional light rail project development activities within their county jurisdictions.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this moratorium stop work on all light rail projects in Minnesota?
When does the light rail spending moratorium expire?
Which geographic areas are covered by the spending prohibition?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House.
Procedural history
21 actions- Feb 24, 2025HouseAuthor added Gillman
- Feb 24, 2025HouseMotion prevailed
- Feb 24, 2025HouseMotion to lay on the table
- Feb 24, 2025HouseMotion prevailed pg. 407 vote: 67-66
- Feb 24, 2025HouseMotion for reconsideration passage
- Feb 24, 2025HouseFloorBill was not passed as amended pg. 407 vote: 66-67
Show 15 earlier actions
- Feb 24, 2025HouseMotion did not prevail pg. 406 vote: 66-67
- Feb 24, 2025HouseCommitteeMotion to re-refer Transportation Finance and Policy
- Feb 24, 2025HouseFloorThird reading as amended
- Feb 24, 2025HouseAmended
- Feb 24, 2025HouseMotion prevailed
- Feb 24, 2025HouseMotion for reconsideration Stephenson amendment to the Koznick amendment
- Feb 24, 2025HouseAmendments offered
- Feb 20, 2025HouseAuthor added Altendorf
- Feb 20, 2025HouseHouse rule 1.21, placed on Calendar for the Day Monday, February 24, 2025
- Feb 17, 2025HouseAuthors added Gander and Gordon
- Feb 13, 2025HouseAuthors added McDonald, Rymer, Murphy and Koznick
- Feb 13, 2025HouseFloorSecond reading
- Feb 13, 2025HouseCommittee report, to adopt
- Feb 10, 2025HouseAuthors added Duran; Engen; Zeleznikar; Knudsen; Bennett; Anderson, P. H.; Jacob; Burkel; Harder and Backer
- Feb 6, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduction and first reading, referred to Transportation Finance and Policy
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 14 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
State-level halt on regional transit spending
The legislation introduces a broad restriction on regional light rail project development, tying the duration of the freeze directly to the completion timeline of the Southwest light rail project.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.revisor.mn.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy70Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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