Daudt Confident Transportation Deal Will Happen

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt says legislative leaders are still searching for a compromise on how to fund hundreds of millions of dollars in annual transportation fixes.

Daudt told reporters Sunday afternoon that he's confident the Legislature is going to get something done on transportation before lawmakers must stop passing bills at midnight.

The speaker wouldn't discuss any details of what was on the table, including whether the GOP's own proposal to increase license tab fees was still an option.

Proposals have ranged from borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars to using existing taxes on auto parts sales to pay for an estimated $600 million per year in road and bridge repairs over the next decade.

A bonding bill full of public works projects across Minnesota was poised for a late resolution, as negotiators waited to see whether a transportation deal would materialize and require a slice of borrowing.