KTTC
By KaMaria Braye
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KTTC) -- United States senators have reached bi-partisan agreement on a $1 trillion infrastructure package.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar said this deal can specifically improve areas in southeast Minnesota.
Klobuchar has taken the lead in pushing the broadband improvement aspect of the deal.
"It's going to be $60 billion. We are still working out some details. Which will really help in southern Minnesota where there is still areas of our state that have really, they might have broadband, but it's not really high speed enough," she said.
Klobuchar said broadband improvement helps for a variety of situations.
"I can't tell you how many people I've talked to in southern Minnesota, who's school districts where they'll have a lot of kids maybe can do work remotely and then other kids can't. Small businesses can't get on remotely. Or a farmer isn't able to contact or even use his high-precision agriculture equipment," she said.
It helps with health care needs as well.
"And so that's why this is important. And big support in the medical community of course and moving forward with broadband cause you have a lot of healthcare developed with telemedicine and alike," Klobuchar said.
However, broadband isn't the only improvement that Rochester could see from this bill.
"It includes funding for transit. Which Rochester is really interested in right now and is doing more and building more," Klobuchar said. "It includes, as I mentioned the highways and bridges. The broadband. It also includes funding for things like water infrastructure, electric grid, ports. Just all things that will help us to get goods to market."
The package also has support from President Joe Biden.
"It's been hard-fought negotiations we are most likely going to working through the weekend. And even beyond infrastructure. It's really important to do something bipartisan right now. Because the country, as you know there's been a lot of division and I think starting with infrastructure in a bipartisan way, puts us on a good path,' Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar hopes the senate can vote on the infrastructure package by next week
