Senate Capital Investment Committee

05/29/2026

Thank you Chair Pappas!

We extend our deepest gratitude to Senator Sandy Pappas for her decades of service and leadership in the Minnesota Legislature. From her groundbreaking work as Senate President to her role in passing the state’s largest-ever bonding bill, Senator Pappas has been a tireless champion for St. Paul and for Minnesotans across the state. Her legacy of fighting for working families, public education, and equity has shaped our community for generations to come. We thank her for her unwavering commitment to justice and progress and recognize that she leaves behind big shoes to fill as we continue the work she so passionately led.

05/29/2026

https://www.twincities.com/2026/05/25/mendota-heights-new-city-hall-police-department-funding/

Plans are scheduled to be presented to the City Council at its Tuesday, June 2, meeting.

05/27/2026

More Than $41 Million Aproved for Removal of Dangerous Lead Water Lines

Minnesota Senate
PRESS RELEASE
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 26, 2026
Contact: Marc Kimball - 651-238-1330

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy Says More Than $41 Million Aproved for Removal of Dangerous Lead Water Lines in St. Paul
Removal is Part of a State Program to Help Safeguard Long-Term Health of People Across the City and the State

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL- St. Paul) said St. Paul residents will benefit from the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority's (MPFA) approval of close to $41 million in grants and loans to replace more than 2100 dangerous lead service lines in the city that can leach lead into drinking water and threaten the long-term health of residents, especially children. The funding is part of the MPFA' Lead Service Line Replacement program created by the State Legislataure in 2023 to address the public health of Minnesotans.

"This is a long-overdue, but significant step in providing safe, clean drinking water to protect the health of St. Paul residents," Senator Murphy said. "This investment is the direct result of State Legislature's action in 2023 to enact $240 million to replace lead pipes across the state. While we still have work to do to fulfill our commitment to lead pipe removal across the state, the approval of this funding will help take some of the burden of replacing lead pipes off homeowners, renters, and businesses, and it will improve the health and safety of people across the city."

Senator Murphy said that in 2023, the State Legislature enacted $240 million for the MPFA to create a grant program to map and replace water service lines across the state that contain lead. At the time, there were an estimated 100,000 water service lines in the state draining lead into the drinking water, she said.

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05/27/2026

“I am glad to see this land return to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who by treaty rights should have been its stewards all along,” said Senator Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), chair of the Senate Capital Investment Committee. “Bonding dollars fund projects that benefit communities for 10 or more years; this transfer will benefit the land and all living beings for generations to come. My gratitude goes to Chairman Bruce Savage, Representative Liish Kozlowski, President Rebecca Cunningham and every person who made today possible.”

In a milestone moment for collaboration and reconciliation, the University of Minnesota and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are moving forward with the return of the Cloquet Forestry Center land.

05/26/2026

https://www.twincities.com/2026/05/24/minnesota-sues-3m-again-over-pfas-pollution/

The lawsuit details that 3M has “47 separate industrial and stormwater outfalls that discharge” into the Mississippi River.

05/26/2026

Capital Investment Chair Sandy Pappas says, she is "proud to promote phase 1 of a new & very much needed student center on the St Paul Ag campus."

The St. Paul campus is a hub of Agriculture Sciences and related areas. It hosts academic departments from six colleges — including the state’s only veterinary school — along with 18 centers and institutes, plus extensive labs, research fields, and community spaces.

The Minnesota Legislature has passed a $1.2 billion bonding bill that includes $75 million in funding for the University of Minnesota

05/26/2026

Another example of your bonding dollars at work!

Plans are scheduled to be presented to the City Council at its Tuesday, June 2, meeting.

05/26/2026

This week, the MPCA announced the results of a seven-year feasibility study on recommendations for reducing PFAS in the East Metro area. The study, funded by the $850 million settlement that Minnesota reached with 3M in 2018, focused on the area served by the Valley Branch Watershed District’s Project 1007 rainwater conveyance system. Learn more about the results from the story map here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ec190a9ce4af406ebb99b13b9d53f042

05/25/2026

Retiring State Senator and Capital Investment Committee Chair Sandy Pappas said she was “pleased to be able to keep the Big Cat dollars in the bonding bill.”

Como Zoo is admission-free, making it difficult to pay for large projects.

State funding has finally been granted for renovations, but construction disruption and a lonely lioness mean Como will lose some familiar faces.

05/25/2026

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-college-campuses-lead-the-way-on-geothermal-innovation/601828798

A geothermal pilot project at the St. Paul college could illuminate a new way to heat and cool in cities.