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Capitol View®
Tom Scheck

House Democrats want more answers on Senate Office Building

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Senate Office Building
A design of the Senate Office Building supplied by the MN Department of Administration.

House Democrats aren’t expected to approve funding for a new Senate Office Building anytime soon. DFL House Majority Leader Erin Murphy says she’s sending a letter to the Department of Administration to get answers to a few of their questions about the building.  She also said they are waiting for a ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court on the constitutionality of how the building was funded.

Murphy chairs the House Rules Committee, which last met to talk about the building in February.

“The Rules Committee hasn’t scheduled a hearing yet,” Murphy said. “We’re going to get more information from the administration and get that to the members.”

Murphy said some of the questions they want answered are whether there are any viable alternatives for the Senate.

It’s far from certain how long a legal appeal could take. A Ramsey County judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the building's financing. But former state Rep. Jim Knoblach, who is running for a seat in the Minnesota House this year, filed an appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court. He asked the court for an expedited review but it isn’t certain how quickly the court will rule on the appeal.

The House Rules Committee is the last hurdle before construction can begin on the $90 million project. The new building will cost $63 million. Another $27 million parking garage is also included in the plans.

The building was initially included in an omnibus tax bill that Gov. Dayton, Senate DFL leaders and House DFL leaders agreed upon last May. The Senate Rules Committee has already approved the financing and design.

DFL Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk says the new building is needed because the current renovations of the State Capitol will force the Senate to move. The new Capitol design will also result in fewer Senate offices there.

Republicans have questioned the need for the new building. They say Democrats have misplaced priorities for spending taxpayer money on new offices. GOP Senate Minority Leader David Hann has also suggested that Bakk is holding up other priorities, like approval of a $503 million tax cut bill and increasing the minimum wage, until House Democrats approve funding for the building.

Bakk downplayed any suggestions that he’s bargaining for the new building.

“I hadn’t thought about that,” Bakk said. “Everyone knows how I feel. The new building is critical in keeping the renovations of our State Capitol on schedule.

Those working on the Capitol reconstruction say approval for the new Senate Office Building will allow them to move forward with the next phase of the renovation. One timetable for construction said groundbreaking would happen this spring with the office building mostly completed by 2015. The plan is for about 16 senators, staffers and others to move from offices in the Capitol into the new building across the street. While the construction is going on, all of the members with offices in the Capitol will move into the new building.