Big bucks through borrowing for roads, bridges, bus and rail lines were the focus of a barrage of bills heard Wednesday by the House Transportation Finance Committee.
The committee heard 58 bills proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in bonding proceeds be used on transportation-related projects in an hours-long afternoon hearing.
No formal action was taken on any of the proposed legislation. Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska), the committee chair, said a list of transportation borrowing proposals would be submitted to the House Capital Investment Committee for possible inclusion in a potential bonding bill.
Large bonding bills are typically reserved for the second year of a two-year biennium, with major budget bills dominating the time and efforts of lawmakers during the first. No capital investment bill was passed last year, however.
Among the bonding proposals heard during the hearing were: