MENTHOL CIGARETTES, FLAVORED CIGARS, E-CIGARETTES AND SMOKELESS TOBACCO.

>> MARY: TOMORROW THE SENATE WILL HEAR TWO BONDING PACKAGES THAT COULD CHART A COURSE FOR SOME CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ACROSS THE STATE.

THE HOUSE HAS ALREADY DONE THEIR HEAVY LIFTING HERE.

HERE TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THOSE PACKAGES, REPRESENTATIVE FUE LEE, WHO CHAIRS THE HOUSE CAPITAL INVESTMENT COMMITTEE, AND REPRESENTATIVE DEAN URDAHL, THE COMMITTEE'S REPUBLICAN LEAD.

>> Mr.

CHAIR, WHAT'S THE HEAD COUNT IN THE SENATE?

IS IT GOING TO PASS?

>> WE DON'T KNOW.

I DON'T KNOW.

>> Mary: WHAT ARE YOU HEARING, WHAT ARE THE CONVERSATIONS AT THIS POINT?

>> SO I'VE BEEN CHECKING IN WITH SENATOR PAPPAS TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE AND AT THIS POINT SHE SAID THAT SHE'S HAVING INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS WITH SENATORS BUT IT'S GOING BACK TO THEIR TALKING POINTS OUT THERE, YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE ACTION ON A BONDING BILL UNTIL THEY GET TAX CUTS.

>> Mary: WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN HOUSE REPUBLICANS STANCE.

YOU POSTED SNUFF VOTES AND SOME TO SPARE, RIGHT?

HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

>> WELL, I LIKE TO THINK THAT WE PUT TOGETHER, FUE AND I, AND OTHERS, A VERY, VERY GOOD BILL.

AND REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE, AT LEAST 21 OF THEM, BELIEVE THAT, RECOGNIZE THAT AND -- >> Mary: THAT'S A LOT.

LET'S JUST SAY 21 IS NOT JUST A COUPLE, RIGHT?

>> NO, IT WAS A GOOD NUMBER.

AND I THINK UNDER -- IN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE.

BUT I -- I DON'T TWIST ARMS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

MY PHILOSOPHY IS, WHEN 'M WORKING ON LEGISLATION, TO TRY TO DO SUCH A GOOD BILL THAT PEOPLE WANT TO VOTE FOR IT AND DO SO.

>> Mary: ARE THERE ENOUGH REPUBLICAN PROJECTS OVER IN THE SENATE?

DO YOU NEED TO TWEAK THE BILL?

WHAT ARE YOU HEARING IN TERMS OF WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE VERSUS THE HOUSE?

>> SO THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE OPERATED FROM LAST YEAR WAS THAT FOR LOCAL PROJECTS, WE WERE GOING TO SPREAD IT EVENLY AMONG ALL CAUCUSES.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, REFLECTED IN THE PROPOSAL THAT WE GOT THROUGH THE HOUSE, WE HAVE EVENLY DIVIDED LOCAL PROJECTS BETWEEN DFLers AND HOUSE GOPERS, AND SENATE GOPER AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT IT'S A VERY BALANCED BILL OVER THERE IN THE SENATE FOR THEM TO TAKE UP.

>> Mary: SEEMS LIKE THE SENATE IS A TIMING ISSUE MORE THAN A PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUE BECAUSE THEY'RE SAYING THEY WANT TAX CUTS.

I'M GUESSING YOU GUYS WANT TAX CUTS HERE, TOO?

>> SURE, WE REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE WANT TO SEE SOME TAX CUTS BUT, YOU NOW, THE SENATE IN TERMS OF TIMING, THERE ARE OTHERS EVEN IN THE HOUSE SAYING THAT WE'RE RUSHING THIS.

WELL, THIS IS A BILL AS FUE SAID, WE STARTED WORKING ON A COUPLE YEARS AGO.

THIS BILL HAS BEEN TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING, WE'VE VETTED SOME OF THESE PROJECTS OVER THAT ENTIRE TIMESPAN SO I DON'T LOOK ON IT AS RUSHING.

THIS IS A BILL THAT WE WERE BEHIND ON, WE'RE CATCHING UP ON AND NEEDED TO GET DONE.

>> Mary: SPEAKING OF THE CATCH-UP, HOW MUCH DO PRICES CHANGE AND INTEREST RATES THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT?

THIS IS A BILL TO LARGELY BORROW FOR STATE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.

HOW SENSITIVE IS IT TIME-WISE?

>> EARLY ON IN SESSION, WE HERALD FROM MMB ON INFLATION AND SO THEY HAVE RESPONDED TO US SAYING THAT INFLATION COSTS 20% SO IF WE WERE JUST TO LOOK AT THE CONTEXT OF ALL THE REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE SAW IN 2021, WHICH WAS AROUND 5.6 BILLION, FACTORING IN 20% INFLATION, THAT'S ROUGHLY 6 AT THIS POINT 2 BILLION DOLLARS.

>> Mary: THAT'S A LOT.

>> THAT IS A LOT.

>> Mary: THAT IS $6 BILLION.

MUCH YOU SEEN THAT LEVEL OF INFLATION IN YOUR TIME HERE?

YOU'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME.

>> NO, NOT IN TERMS OF BONDING PROJECTS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WE HAVE IS A SITUATION WHERE THE NEED IS THERE, THE DESIRE IS GREAT AND WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA TO MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.

AND LARGELY THAT'S WHAT THIS BILL WAS ABOUT.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK BOUT WHAT THE BILL DOES.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PROJECTS, WHAT STANDS OUT?

>> SO FOR ME REALLY INVESTING IN OR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES, I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE SHARE SOME COMMON GROUND WITH THE OTHER POLITICAL CAUCUSES OVER HERE, MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE INVEST IN OUR PARKS AND TRAILS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE SAW DURING THE PANDEMIC HEAVY USES SO REALLY REINVESTING INTO OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, LIKE REPRESENTATIVE URDAHL SAID.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT YOU, WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT IT?

>> WE HAVE A LOT OF MONEY INTO PUBLIC FACILITIES AUTHORITY, THAT'S WATER TOWERS, WASTE WATERS TREATMENT PLANTS, WATER ISSUES ARE A BIG THING IN MINNESOTA, PARTICULARLY IN GREATER MINNESOTA WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF FAILING SYSTEMS OUT THERE.

>> Mary: WE'VE TOURED THEM, SOME OF THEM AREN'T PRETTY.

>> NO, SO THAT WAS IMPORTANT.

LOCAL ROADS AND BRIDGES, GETTING A SIZABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY INTO LOCAL ROADS AND BRIDGES TO HELP MAINTAIN OUR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE FOR NOT JUST PLEASURE TRAVEL BUT OUR RUCKS AND THE FARM EQUIPMENT, LL OF THOSE THINGS.

GOOD TRANSPORTATION IS IMPORTANT AND THAT'S WHAT A GOOD SHARE OF THIS BILL WAS ABOUT.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO SEE THOSE PROJECTS IN PERSON BECAUSE THIS IS REALLY THE COMMITTEE THAT HITS IT IS ROAD THE MOST.

DID YOUR FRESHMEN GET TO SEE THESE PROJECTS, TOO?

I KNOW A LOT F HOLD-YOUR HONOR ON THESE.

>> UNFORTUNATELY THE FIRST-TERMERS THIS YEAR DID NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT BUT WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY THIS FALL AS WE TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE AGAIN AND WE'RE PLANNING TO GO TO ALL CORNERS OF THE STATE.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT HIGHER ED, THAT'S USUALLY A BIG CLUNK OF IT.

TALK TO US ABOUT THAT.

>> WE ALSO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP TO MAINTAIN THE BUILDINGS IN OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, AND WE ALSO PUT A GOOD DEAL OF MONEY INTO THAT HAVE THE.

THE HEPR, THE MONEY THAT THE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES GET TO MAINTAIN HEIR BUILDINGS -- >> Mary: HIGHER EDUCATION, ASSET PRESERVATION?

>> WRITE, THAT'S A BIG DEAL.

AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE COULD HAVE DONE A LITTLE BIT MORE 234 THAT AREA, I THINK THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SEE MORE HEPR MONEY BUT THEY CHOSE TO PUT IT INTO FRAZIER HALL.

>> Mary: LAST WORD, DIVERSITY AND EQUITY IN THIS, TOO.

>> YES, SO THE CASH PROPOSAL THAT WE HAD, YOU KNOW, FOCUSED ON HOW DO WE INVEST IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE, WHETHER THAT'S COMMUNITIES OF COLOR OR, YOU KNOW, OUR LOWER INCOME COMMUNITIES AND I'M REALLY PROUD THAT WHEN WE PUT OUT THE CASH BILL, WHICH HAVE MORE SUPPORT FOR THAT THAN WHAT WE DID FOR THE G.O.

BONDING BILL THAN THE SUPER MAJORITY.

>> Mary: THAT'S A BIG NUMBER.

I CAN