More than $40 million was proposed for Capitol security improvements in the bonding bill, which didn’t pass last session. (Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The last time Minnesota lawmakers pumped funding into systemic security improvements around the state Capitol was 2018.

Since then, the building was encircled with a fence for more than a year over threats and fear of vandalism and destruction following George Floyd's killing. The pandemic increased threats to state legislators. The world watched as the nation's Capitol was breached by a crowd on Jan. 6, 2021.

Some lawmakers are renewing calls to pass tens of millions in funding for phase two of planned security upgrades that failed to pass as part of a broader bonding bill earlier this year.

"Improvements to the Capitol complex should be a priority, along with capital investment in priorities and projects all across the state," said House DFL Majority Leader Ryan Winkler.

The funds were part of the discussion at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security last week, which is charged with providing advice and recommendations to the governor and Legislature regarding security priorities at the Capitol.

Legislators allocated $10 million in 2018 for the first phase of Capitol security work recommended by the advisory committee. That work wrapped up last fall and the state and contractors have been waiting for a second, larger round of funding to continue the work, said Chris Guevin with the state Department of Administration.

Gov. Tim Walz proposed more than $46 million for the second phase of work in his last bonding bill, but a broader package never materialized as deals on tax cuts and spending fell apart in the final days of the 2022 session.

That means only 35% of the advisory's recommended improvements are complete, according to the group's annual report. Major projects remain undone, including the installation of architectural posts to create a barrier, as well as blast protection, emergency call stations, security kiosks, locking devices and other traffic and crowd control measures.

"We've got them queued up, and we've got them ready to go," said Guevin.

But the delay is likely to cost the state. The company hired to do the first phase of the work signed a five-year contract, which is about to expire. The state will have to send out another request for proposals to continue work on the project if the funding is passed. Guevin said the contractors also estimate construction costs have gone up 27% because of inflation.

"So that's huge," he said. "The dollar amounts I just mentioned were based on last year's construction estimates, so we're going to have to take a look at those numbers again too."

Separately, state officials are also looking into what it could cost to renovate the 90-year-old State Office Building, down the street from the Capitol, where state representatives and their staff work. Renovations to the building would address its security vulnerabilities.