The 2026 legislative landscape unfolded against urgent backdrops impacting the lives of our most vulnerable communities and all Minnesotans. However, Our Streets built on the 2025 session and continued to lead the forward-thinking transportation movement to advance policies.
Our Streets led a transportation reform hearing last Monday, April 20, in the Senate Transportation Committee. In collaboration with legislators, we opened the discussion on the future of transportation policy in Minnesota, focusing on building a transportation system that works for everyone.Â
On April 13, the House heard the “Transit for a Vibrant Metro” Act, led by Rep. Jones (DFL, 61A), and developed in close coordination with Our Streets, Move Minnesota, and the Sierra Club North Star chapter. HF 4449 establishes a new framework for coordinating transit planning, street reconstruction projects, and land use in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. The bill was laid over amongst other bills introduced in the House. Additionally, Senate Transportation leaders and Our Streets led a Transportation Reform Hearing with other advocates on Monday, April 20.
On April 8th, the House Transportation Committee, chaired by Representative Koznick (GOP, 57A), invited MnDOT to present on the greenhouse gas emissions assessment and mitigation process established under state law. The hearing was set up as a lopsided conversation, with most of it focused on opposition to the law and a very limited opportunity for committee members, advocates, and the public to weigh in and offer support for the bill.Â
The 2026 legislative session has reached its midpoint. Committee deadlines to introduce and hear bills passed on Friday, March 27. The picture of what’s moving—and what isn’t—is coming into focus.
Our Streets’ advocacy and collaboration with committee leaders led to the Transportation Committee’s introduction of an author’s amendment, carried by Senator Hemmingsen-Jaeger (DFL, 47). The amendment improves upon the strong regulatory framework led by Senator Dibble, Senator McEwen, and Senator Maye Quade and achieves several important goals.
There is continuous development on Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) at the legislature. Four bills were heard in the Senate, including a regulatory framework introduced by Senator Dibble. Additionally, several agency bills were heard and various technical changes and small provisions related to State Patrol and Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) were heard in the House.
On Wednesday, March 18th, the Senate heard four bills that will decide the future regulatory framework of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) in Minnesota. Unlike recent conversations in the House, where meaningful conversations on Waymo and other CAVs have stalled, the Senate Transportation Committee has had broader discussions to ensure future policy frameworks don’t undercut the interests of Minnesotans across the state.
This week, the Fix-It-First bill was introduced and a conversation around suburban transit “opt-out” services consolidating in the Twin Cities metro area also took place in the House Transportation Committee. In the Senate, a bill to allow trunk highway dollars to be spent to support local governments to relocate utilities may set the stage for further highway purposes conversation in 2027. Additionally, we hosted Our Streets Day on the Hill, where supporters came to the Capitol with us to advocate for people-first transportation.
Failing to address this problem and prioritize fiscal responsibility means our maintenance backlog grows, costs and wasteful spending escalate, and Minnesotans pay the price — in higher taxes and household costs, worse quality and less safe roads, fewer affordable multi-modal options, and eroded trust in how the state manages its money.
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