Legislative Session number- 82

Bill Name: SF3431

E Relating to employment and economic development ARTICLE 1 UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE Replacing the employer unemployment insurance fund solvency assessment
with a special assessment to pay interest on federal loans for the unemployment
insurance program trust fund, authorizing the commissioner of economic security
in consultation with the commissioner of finance to determine the need for and
the level of the assessment and providing for payment of the interest by the
commissioner of economic security; authorizing the exchange of taxpayer identity
information relating to employers and employees between the departments of labor
and industry and revenue for minimum wage and employment purposes; exempting
certain contracted school food service workers from certain wage credits accrual
restrictions; setting the unemployment insurance base tax rate for employers for
calendar year 2003; providing extra benefits for certain permanently laid off
airline, Fingerhut and Farmland foods company employees, specifying eligibility
conditions and setting the weekly and maximum benefit amounts; providing for
payment of special state temporary extended unemployment benefits to certain
applicants not qualifying for benefits under the federal temporary extended
unemployment compensation act of 2002; requiring the unemployment insurance
advisory council to report to the legislature by a certain date with proposals
for the long term solvency of the Minnesota unemployment insurance program trust
fund; appropriating a certain amount of money transferred to the state under the
federal Reed act from the fund to the commissioner for unemployment insurance
program administration purposes; transferring a certain amount of money from the
unemployment insurance technology initiative account and requiring the
commissioner of finance to periodically transfer certain amounts from the
general fund to the workforce development fund ARTICLE 2 TRADE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT Eliminating the export finance authority and the requirement for the
commissioner of trade and economic development to prepare an annual report to
the legislature describing the number of companies leaving the state and use of
the world trade center for conferences and promotional events; authorizing
waivers below the minimum and above the maximum of certain dislocated worker
program funding requirements under certain training assistance additional
funding conditions; modifying certain provisions under the urban initiative
program; modifying the definition of low income area; authorizing urban
initiative board loan guarantee agreements with nonprofit corporations under the
urban challenge grants program and eliminating the match requirement for loans
or loan guarantees from the revolving loan fund; increasing the maximum amount
of microenterprise loans; expanding authorized administrative expenses for
business loans; authorizing board no interest loans to nonprofit corporations to
support new or expanding businesses, specifying a match requirement and limit
and requiring the crediting of repayments to the revolving fund created for
urban initiative grants; expanding the project area development authority of the
iron range resources and rehabilitation board (IRRRB) to the Ironworld discovery
center area, authorizing the expenditure of funds from the taconite economic
development fund to promote tourism, trade and economic development;
transferring the requirement for annual preparation and submission to the
federal environmental protection agency (EPA) of an intended use plan for the
water pollution control revolving fund from the pollution control agency to the
public facilities authority, requiring the PCA to provide the authority with a
prioritized list of wastewater and storm water projects for funding
consideration; specifying certain eligibility requirements for placement on the
intended use plan and requiring the authority to offer local government units
seeking placement on the plan an opportunity to review and comment on the plan
before adoption, authorizing amendment of the plan for additional projects upon
determination of the availability of funds; increasing the bonding authority of
the public facilities authority; extending the availability of a certain prior
appropriation to DTED for the operation of travel information centers;
reinstating the early warning system to identify plant closings in advance;
repealing the authority of the city of Chisago City to reimburse the town of
Wyoming for certain orderly annexed property ARTICLE 3 BACKGROUND
CHECKSProhibiting employers or prospective employers from requiring employees or
prospective employees to pay for expenses incurred in criminal, background or
credit checks, testing, orientation or training, training or testing
exceptionARTICLE 4 REDEVELOPMENT GRANTSModifying the geographic distribution of
redevelopment grants; authorizing the allocation of funds in the redevelopment
accounts for purchase of a brownfield site in the metropolitan area to be used
for a facility to house the department of military affairs training and
community centerARTICLE 5 SCHOOL CONFERENCE AND ACTIVITY LEAVEExpanding
eligibility for employment school conference and activities leave to foster
parentsARTICLE 6 YOUTH EMPLOYMENTPlacing certain conditions on youth employment
involvement in certain early childhood learning and child protection facilities
construction projects paid for with grant funds ARTICLE 7 COMPETITIVE BIDDING
FOR UTILITIES Requiring the commissioner of commerce to identify and evaluate
criteria for use by public utilities in evaluating and selecting bids submitted
in a competitive bidding process for energy projects, requiring the commissioner
to convene a series of forums for input from citizens and stakeholders and to
present a report to the legislature by a certain date (ja)