Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, left, is sworn in by Justice Anne K. McKeig after being reelected for her third term during the first day of the 2023 legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KFGO/WCCO) – Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman is responding to concerns about cost overruns when it comes to the $500 million revamp of the State Office Building. Last December, the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee approved the plan to renovate it.
Hortman said the state does incur debt when it makes big investments like this that will serve generations to come.
“When an investment will benefit not just this generation, but future generations, our state philosophy should be that those costs are spread out over all the generations that will benefit,” the Democratic lawmaker from Brooklyn Park said. “As opposed to the kind of expenses that are incurred by, for example, the disability waiver program this year. The tax payers in this year should pay for that.”
Hortman said the state office building facelift is needed to improve accessibility and overall safety despite those who say the project will cost significantly more than planned. She said the project is a must in order to make the building safer and more accessible to the public. The redesign, which would add about 166,000 square feet to the existing 290,000-square-foot structure would maintain the “status quo” for member offices but would make the new building safer and more secure.
“Right now, we have a lot of protests and things like that in the Capitol Rotunda, outside on the Capitol steps,” Hortman said. “This new building will have an indoor area where citizens can come and protest, and make their voices heard, engage in demonstrations.”
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