On Tuesday, March 6, the St. Croix River Crossing Project legislation, passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, arrived at the White House. According to the U.S. Constitution, the President has 10 days (Sundays excepted) to take action on the bill. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (MN-06) provided the following statement regarding the status of the St. Croix River Crossing legislation:

“On March 1, shortly after the St. Croix River Crossing legislation passed the House of Representatives, I spoke with President Obama’s Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, and the future of the bill. He told me, to my elation, that he has no indication that President Obama will veto the St. Croix River Crossing legislation.

“I also urge the President to hold a public signing ceremony for the bill. This is an incredible milestone for the people of Minnesota and Wisconsin who have waited decades for a new bridge. A signing ceremony would send a strong signal of the bipartisanship on this issue in an often partisan process.”

The St. Croix River Crossing legislation, S.1134, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on January 23. It passed the House of Representatives on March 1 by a vote of 339 – 80.

On the day of passage, Bachmann joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (MN), Al Franken (MN), Ron Johnson (WI) and Herb Kohl (WI), and Representatives Ron Kind (WI-03), Sean Duffy (WI-07), Tammy Baldwin (WI-02) and Chip Cravaack (MN-08), in a letter to President Obama. The text of the letter follows:

Dear President Obama:

We respectfully request your prompt signature of S. 1134, the St. Croix River Crossing Project Authorization Act, which passed the United States Senate on January 23, 2012, and the United States House of Representatives on March 1, 2012.  

The bipartisan legislation will allow construction of a new St. Croix River bridge to move forward.  The existing crossing at the historic Stillwater Lift Bridge is broadly viewed as inadequate and in need of replacement.  As the bridge has aged, closings for structural and vehicle collision repairs and maintenance inspections have increased.  In addition, the bridge’s unique function as a lift bridge, which lifts frequently to allow boats to travel the St. Croix River, is a source of severe traffic congestion.  The St. Croix River Crossing Project Authorization Act would allow the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation to construct the bridge that Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker support.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is the leading sponsor of the project, and Governor Dayton has announced that due to the necessary permitting and other preparatory work, legislation to allow the crossing to be constructed must be signed into law by March 15, 2012.  Without enactment of authorization legislation by this date, the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation will have no other choice than to abandon the St. Croix River Crossing Project for 10 years or longer, or risk losing federal and state funding set aside for the project.  For a region that has worked so hard for 30 years to advance the only truly viable transportation option, we should not make them wait any longer.  
            
Thank you for your attention to this critical legislation that will increase safety, reduce congestion, improve mobility, and create thousands of much-needed construction jobs in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

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