State Senate Proposes Illegal Street Name Change

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A bill for public construction projects would rename a street after a Democratic state senator as she exits the Legislature — an honor that breaks state law.

It's one line in a $1.5 billion public works bill released Monday. The Legislature would provide $3 million to rebuild a street on Blaine's National Sports Center complex, renaming it Alice Johnson Avenue.

Johnson has served the Blaine area in the Senate since 2012 but will retire at the end of the year. She previously represented the region for a decade in the House.

Sen. Leroy Stumpf says he and his colleagues wanted to honor Johnson as she retires. Johnson says she was unaware of the addition.

State law bans naming streets after living people. Republicans also say it reeks of political vanity.