Session Year 2005, Special Session 1

Bill Name: SF0086

Relating to the organization, operation and financing of state
government,
appropriating money for transportation and public safety
purposes

ARTICLE 1 - APPROPRIATIONS, TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER
AGENCIES

Appropriating money to the commissioner of transportation (DOT) for
aeronautics, for airport development and assistance, for aviation support and
services, for transit and freight, for state and local roads and for general
support and services, to the metropolitan council for bus transit and for
Hiawatha light rail transit line operations, to the commissioner of public
safety for public safety officer survivor benefits, for soft body armor and
certain fund reimbursements, for the state patrol, for driver and vehicle
services and for traffic and pipeline safety; providing for the payment of tort
claims and for certain general contingent accounts; authorizing or requiring
certain fund transfers and providing for the continued availability of certain
appropriations; requiring certain transportation studies and reports; requiring
and providing for the commissioner of public safety to contract with a private
consultant to conduct an audit of the web site permitting persons to register
motor vehicles online for personal information security breach examination
purposes, requiring a report to the legislature by a certain date; expanding
authorized uses of the livable communities fund for metropolitan revenue
distribution (fiscal disparities) purposes to transportation operations;
imposing a surcharge on persons riding or attempting to ride an LRT vehicle
without paying, restricting use of the surcharge by the metropolitan council to
LRT operations

ARTICLE 2 - PUBLIC SAFETY ACTIVITIES, FEES,
ACCOUNTS

Authorizing the commissioner of administration to approve the
performance of mail related functions by outside agencies under the central mail
handling unit under certain conditions; modifying certain vehicle registration
tax and fee provisions and certain fee or tax deposit requirements of the
commissioner of public safety; increasing fees for motor vehicle transfers and
for certain driver and vehicle services; expanding the definition of authorized
emergency vehicle under the provision regulating the passing of emergency
vehicles displaying emergency lighting to towing vehicles activating flashing
lights; increasing drivers license and identification (ID) card fees and
imposing certain repeat examination fees; modifying or clarifying certain
special license plate and motor vehicle dealer license provisions; providing for
expedited driver and vehicle services and for record copies, fees; modifying
certain procedures for the appointment of deputy registrars; expanding the
definition of essential employee under the public employment labor relations act
(PELRA) to public safety radio communications operators and providing for
assignment of the operators to the appropriate state bargaining unit; creating
the driver and vehicle services operating accounts in the special revenue fund
for the deposit of certain fees and providing for annual transfers from the
general fund to the accounts for use by the commissioner for driver and vehicle
services administration purposes; making certain technical and clarifying
amendments; specifying certain reference change or correction and renumbering
instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing the bicycle registration
program

ARTICLE 3 - TRANSPORTATION FUNDING

Expanding the county wheelage tax
statewide, increasing the limit, providing for applicability and requiring
crediting to the road and bridge fund of the county levying the tax; modifying
the imposition of the motor vehicle registration tax on passenger automobiles in
subsequent years; increasing the gasoline and special fuels tax rates; requiring
the deposit of certain percentages of sales tax revenues from sales in the
metropolitan area to the metropolitan area and greater Minnesota transit funds;
modifying the percentage of motor vehicle sales tax revenues required to be
deposited in the highway user tax distribution, metropolitan area and greater
Minnesota transit and county state aid highway and municipal state aid street
funds; appropriating money to the commissioner of transportation (DOT) and
authorizing the issuance of state bonds for trunk highway improvements to
highway and transit purposes

ARTICLE 4 - COUNTY STATE AID FUND DISTRIBUTION
FORMULA

Modifying the county state aid highway fund apportionment formula,
providing for the calculation and apportionment of the apportionment and excess
sums and of the construction apportionment

ARTICLE 5 - TRANSPORTATION
POLICY

Authorizing the commissioner of transportation to bill highway
operations units of the DOT and local road authorities for the costs of a
centrally managed highway sign program, establishing a special account in the
trunk highway fund for deposit of receipts; limiting the collection of tolls by
toll facility operators or road authorities; designating a certain portion of
trunk highway #371 as the purple heart memorial highway; modifying the interest
rate on advances by road authorities to the commissioner to expedite trunk
highway construction projects, requiring a rate agreed upon by the parties;
increasing the amount from the county state aid highway fund required to be set
aside for department administrative costs; authorizing county use of county
state aid highway fund apportionments to aid towns in the replacement of town
road signs; defining or redefining certain terms for motor vehicle registration
purposes; modifying and clarifying the registration tax exemption for persons
engaged in active military service; waiving the fee for nonresident temporary
new motor vehicle permits for information electronically transmitted to the
commissioner of public safety by
dealers or deputy motor vehicle registrars and
modifying the permit posting requirement; expanding eligibility for collector
vehicle license plates; authorizing and providing for the issuance of
personalized special veterans motor vehicle license plates and authorizing
display of the plates on certain larger noncommercial trucks; exempting special
veterans motorcycle license plates from certain design requirements and
eliminating the limit on the number of vehicle license plate sets allowed to be
issued to veterans; authorizing and providing for the issuance of special motor
vehicle license plates to veterans of the global war on terrorism and to
recipients of the Iraq or Afghanistan campaign medals and imposing a temporary
surcharge on issuance of the plates for
deposit in the vehicle services
operating account in the special revenue fund; providing for the issuance of
special license plates for eligible members of the disabled American veterans
and for Minnesota military family support organization license plates,
establishing the Minnesota military family support organization account;
modifying certain requirements regulating motor vehicle ownership transfers and
registration tax refunds; removing certain exceptions to the definition of
commercial motor vehicle relating to the transportation of hazardous materials
for traffic regulations and drivers license purposes; expanding the definition
of recreational vehicle combination to certain motor vehicle carriers hauling
equestrian equipment or supplies, authorizing operation of combinations
exceeding certain length limits without a permit; clarifying the prohibition on
driving vehicles on roadway shoulders to pass on the right; authorizing
implements of husbandry to be operated or towed to the left half of the roadway
under certain conditions; authorizing buses used to transport adults to and from
day activity centers to be equipped with school bus prewarning flashing amber
signals and stop signal arms, specifying conditions for operator activation of
equipment; increasing the gross weight limit for certain vehicles or
combinations hauling livestock on noninterstate trunk highways, requiring a
permit and specifying a fee; clarifying the exception from certain weight record
requirements for motor carriers hauling raw or unfinished forest products;
authorizing the commissioner of transportation to issue special oversize load
permits for the transport of manufactured storage buildings and providing for
the issuance of special permits for certain vehicles hauling paper products,
requiring compliance with certain restrictions and imposing an annual fee;
extending the exemption for vehicles transporting milk from seasonal highway
weight restrictions; modifying certain uniform traffic ticket
content
requirements; modifying the period of drivers license revocation for
commercial motor vehicle operators driving while impaired (DWI); removing
Canadian provinces from the definition of state and defining tank vehicle for
drivers license purposes; modifying the validity of class D drivers licenses for
the operation of farm trucks and for the towing of vehicles; making certain
technical and clarifying modifications; expanding the drivers license exemption
for persons employed by the federal government to operate motor vehicles owned
by or leased to the federal government and clarifying the exemption for military
personnel; extending the validity of instruction permits; modifying the
percentage of excess two wheeled vehicle endorsement duplicate drivers license
additional fees to be credited to the general fund; requiring the commissioner
of public safety to indicate on commercial drivers licenses restrictions on the
operation of commercial motor vehicles equipped with air brakes for persons not
successfully completing the air brake component of the skills test; extending
certain drivers records retention requirements relating to violations of driver
or vehicle out of service orders or to certain alcohol related offenses;
modifying the requirement relating to the recording of certain speed limit
violations; requiring examination before drivers license renewal of certain
habitual violators; specifying certain commissioner commercial drivers license
records check requirements; requiring commercial motor vehicle operation
disqualification under federal standards, expanding the exemptions to authorized
emergency vehicle operators operating commercial motor vehicles and excluding
certain violation convictions relating to the operation of vehicles other than
commercial vehicles from disqualification period determination; requiring the
department of public safety to participate fully in the commercial driver
license information system; authorizing the commissioner to suspend drivers
licenses of persons paying drivers license fees with bad checks; specifying
certain state aviation planning requirements, requiring the commissioner of
transportation to create an advisory council; temporarily authorizing
commissioner grants from the state transportation fund to certain smaller cities
for design and preliminary engineering of bridges on city streets, specifying a
total grants limit; providing for drivers license renewal and motor vehicle
registration for persons in active military service; creating a Minnesota grade
crossing safety account in the special revenue fund for rail highway grade
crossing safety projects on public streets and highways; authorizing the
metropolitan council to enter into agreements with cities or towns to join the
metropolitan transit taxing district, specifying certain agreement content
requirements and certain property tax levy options; requiring certain
metropolitan airports commission (MAC) meetings on noise mitigation efforts;
authorizing the Dakota county regional railroad authority to construct and
operate a bus rapid transit system in the Cedar avenue transit corridor;
requiring the commissioner of public safety to suspend the program to verify
insurance coverage through sampling, providing for reinstatement of suspended
licenses, dismissal of charges, removal of previous violations and vacation of
convictions, requiring remediation by insurers and a report by the commissioner
to the legislature on the operation of the program, requiring the commissioner
to use certain unspent funds for program suspension administration; providing a
wetland replacement requirement exemption for trail construction in or near the
city of Cologne; establishing a speed limit for trains operated within the city
of Orr in St. Louis county to eliminate or reduce local safety hazards;
prohibiting state and local agencies from requiring a permit to park at state
funded park and ride facilities; reducing the ethanol mandate upon
commissioner
determination of a loss of federal transportation funds; specifying
certain DOT bicycling and walking promotion policy requirements; requiring the
commissioner of public safety to appoint an additional deputy registrar of motor
vehicles and drivers license agent for Hennepin county and to appoint the Carver
county auditor as a deputy motor vehicle registrar and drivers license agent in
the city of Chanhassen; requiring the commissioner of transportation and the
metropolitan council to jointly conduct a study on the feasibility of
implementing a BRT system in the transportation corridor between Stillwater and
St. Paul and report to the legislature by a certain date; repealing the
definition of sworn statement and the requirement for notice to the registrar of
engine or motor transfers, certain commercial motor vehicle drivers license
disqualification requirements, the definition of off peak hours for metropolitan
transit fare policy purposes and certain rules regulating motor carriers
(mk)