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SAINT PAUL, MN, (May 25, 2017) – Today the Minnesota State Legislature passed a comprehensive transportation funding package and sent it to the Governor for his signature. The Saint Paul Area Chamber (SPACC) along with our partners pushed hard for improved transit as contributing to regional business strength and statewide prosperity. In regular conversations with business leaders in the East Metro, we repeatedly hear how important public transportation is to employers and employees. Thirty percent of all workers in Saint Paul use public transportation to get to their workplace, and eighty percent of all ride destinations are to work or school. Business leaders continually cite a stable and growing transit system as a way to attract and retain employers and their employees. SPACC is encouraged by the transportation funding package passed by the legislature during the special session. Previous versions of the transportation bill included detrimental cuts to Metro Transit and policy language that would have blocked current transit projects and future funding. At the same time, the package does not make progress toward agreed-on goals. The GreaterMSP Regional Indicators Dashboard shows us below average and falling further behind our peers in providing access to jobs by transit. We are hopeful that next year’s legislative session will work towards progress. Our regional transit system supports our economy and does so while providing 90% customer satisfaction. Metro Transit’s excellent management across numerous measures earned it American Transit System of the Year in 2016. SPACC urges the region to support the great transit system we have, and build it out to keep Minnesota working. SPACC looks forward to continuing its tradition of advancing transit in the East Metro. We want to thank our transit partners across the Twin Cities region who worked diligently with the legislature to continue our tradition of a good regional transit network. Thank you to Governor Dayton, legislators, and all their staff who took time to understand the importance of transit for our state’s economic growth.