What the 2026 Legislative Session Meant for Public Transit in Minnesota
Minnesotans have gone through a lot lately. We felt it at the State Capitol this year as a new legislative session kicked off in the shadow of unprecedented political violence: from the assassination of venerated House Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman to the brutal impacts of this winter’s federal occupation. And still, community advocates and elected leaders showed up every day, resolved to make a difference. Throughout the session, Move Minnesota and Move Minnesota Action worked alongside our partners and supporters to advance new legislative priorities with the potential to improve people’s daily lives in meaningful ways.
Now that the 2026 legislative session is over—after months of defending transit funding, advocating for a more affordable and connected Minnesota, and navigating the fraught politics of a divided House—where did we land?
Successful Defense of Long-Term Dedicated Transit Funding
Defensive transit advocacy was critical again this year. One of the most significant threats to public transit investments in 2026 came from Governor Tim Walz. The Governor’s proposal to cut $41 million from public transit service in the Twin Cities metro would have negatively impacted transit riders and eaten up hard-won regional sales tax dollars for transit, eroding long-overdue progress toward improving local bus service and expanding bus rapid transit routes after decades of underinvestment.
As gas prices and the costs of daily life continued to rise throughout the spring, we helped Minnesotans speak up for continued investment in public transit that is affordable and convenient. We persistently and successfully pushed back against transit funding cuts throughout budget negotiations to ensure state resources for transit operations and the dedicated metro sales tax are safe.
Forward Momentum for New Policy & Funding Solutions
Move Minnesota and Move Minnesota Action moved forward several new policy and funding solutions to improve public transit, ensuring these important issues got attention from key decision-makers and gained traction despite a difficult political climate. We are excited about the progress we’ve made in 2026 with help from advocates and allies. And we know that together we’ve laid the necessary groundwork to bring these promising solutions back to the State Capitol for a renewed push in 2027.
- We worked with lead authors Representative Katie Jones and Senator Scott Dibble to develop and champion new legislation designed to ensure public transit investments are used well to expand fast and frequent service in our Twin Cities communities. The resulting Transit for a Resilient Metro bill would mandate that the Met Council set transit performance measures and create an investment framework aligned with improving service, increasing ridership, and centering transit-oriented development. The bill was heard in the House and we look forward to advancing this issue in the coming year.
- We were able to introduce our new commuter benefits policy bill in both the House and Senate with support from lead authors Senator Jen McEwen and Representative Sam Sencer-Mura. The legislation, which requires certain employers to offer pre-tax benefits or subsidies for sustainable commutes, stands to improve air quality, reduce traffic, and help workers save money. We’ll be looking to build on this valuable early support to move commuter benefits through multiple committees in 2027.
- We spearheaded legislation to provide bonding dollars for bus rapid transit and successfully secured strong support from 14 bill authors. While BRT did not make it into the final bonding bill this year, we will continue to advocate for targeted investments that boost bus rapid transit expansion in future years to bring this convenient service to more people and help other regional resources stretch farther for transit operations and maintenance.
- We also made significant progress talking with lawmakers and other allies about renewing free fare routes to combat food insecurity in the metro. For Minnesotans who have limited or uncertain food access, transportation costs can be a significant barrier. Piloting free public transit routes where these essential needs are high would help more families bring down their household expenses and improve access to safe and healthy foods and the quality of life in our communities overall. We plan to continue this conversation in the year ahead.
Essential Work to Build and Broaden Support for Public Transit Continues
Engaging and mobilizing advocates was a crucial part of our work at Move Minnesota and Move Minnesota Action throughout the session. From online actions to in-district meetings, we are proud of this invaluable collective advocacy for a more affordable, connected, and resilient Minnesota. And we are so grateful to everyone who spoke up to defend public transit and kept pushing for the transportation choices our communities need and deserve.
With advocates’ support, we also built on new and existing relationships with elected allies this year, including through outreach on both sides of the aisle, meetings with majority leadership, and conversations with lawmakers from both the Twin Cities metro and Greater Minnesota.
Special thanks to legislative champions who were instrumental in defending critical resources and moving transit legislation forward this year, including Sen. Scott Dibble, Sen. Jen McEwen, Sen. Ann Johnson-Stewart, Rep. Katie Jones, Rep. Larry Kraft, Rep. Sam Sencer-Mura, and Rep. Brad Tabke.
Making sure that more of our elected leaders and our fellow Minnesotans recognize and value the integral role public transit plays in protecting our air and climate and keeping our daily lives affordable will be essential going forward. For all of us who care about creating a more just and sustainable Minnesota, the gridlock felt across many issues at the State Capitol this session is a call to action. One that only reinforces the importance of persistent grassroots advocacy and building more durable support for public transit, biking, walking, and rolling in the year ahead.
Thanks to all who were able to join our recent event to talk about what happened this session and share your thoughts about the path forward! Stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved in the months to come.