HF 1922

1st Engrossment - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 04/27/2023 11:11am

A bill for an act
relating to economic development; adopting various policy provisions relating to
Explore Minnesota Tourism, the Department of Employment and Economic
Development, and the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation;
creating an account; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2022,
sections 116J.552, subdivisions 4, 6; 116L.04, subdivision 1a; 116L.17, subdivision
1; 116U.25; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapters 116J;
298.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin [116J.015] EXPIRATION OF REPORT MANDATES.
new text end

new text begin (a) If the submission of a report by the commissioner of employment and economic
development to the legislature is mandated by statute and the enabling legislation does not
include a date for the submission of a final report, the mandate to submit the report expires
according to this section.
new text end

new text begin (b) If the mandate requires the submission of an annual report and the mandate was
enacted before January 1, 2022, the mandate expires January 1, 2024. If the mandate requires
the submission of a biennial or less frequent report and the mandate was enacted before
January 1, 2022, the mandate expires January 1, 2025.
new text end

new text begin (c) Any reporting mandate enacted on or after January 1, 2022, expires three years after
the date of enactment if the mandate requires the submission of an annual report and expires
five years after the date of enactment if the mandate requires the submission of a biennial
or less frequent report unless the enacting legislation provides for a different expiration
date.
new text end

new text begin (d) The commissioner shall submit to the chairs and ranking minority members of the
legislative committees with jurisdiction over employment and economic development by
February 15 of each year, beginning February 15, 2023, a list of all reports set to expire
during the following calendar year according to this section.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 116J.552, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Development authority.

"Development authority" includes a statutory or home
rule charter city, county, new text begin federally recognized Tribe, new text end housing and redevelopment authority,
economic development authority, and a port authority.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 116J.552, subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

Municipality.

"Municipality" means the statutory or home rule charter city,
town, new text begin federally recognized Tribe, new text end or, in the case of unorganized territory, the county in
which the site is located.

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 116L.04, subdivision 1a, is amended to read:

Subd. 1a.

Pathways program.

The pathways program may provide grants-in-aid for
developing programs which assist in the transition of persons from welfare to work and
assist individuals at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The program
is to be operated by the board. The board shall consult and coordinate with program
administrators at the Department of Employment and Economic Development to design
and provide services for temporary assistance for needy families recipients.

Pathways grants-in-aid may be awarded to educational or other nonprofit training
institutions or to workforce development intermediaries for education and training programs
and services supporting education and training programs that serve eligible recipients.

Preference shall be given to projects that:

(1) provide employment with benefits paid to employees;

(2) provide employment where there are defined career paths for trainees;

(3) pilot the development of an educational pathway that can be used on a continuing
basis for transitioning persons from welfare to work; and

(4) demonstrate the active participation of Department of Employment and Economic
Development workforce centers, Minnesota State College and University institutions and
other educational institutions, and local welfare agencies.

Pathways projects must demonstrate the active involvement and financial commitment
of deleted text begin private deleted text end new text begin a participating new text end business. Pathways projects must be matched with cash or in-kind
contributions on at least a one-half-to-one ratio by new text begin a new text end participating deleted text begin private deleted text end business.

A single grant to any one institution shall not exceed $400,000. A portion of a grant may
be used for preemployment training.

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 116L.17, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given them in this subdivision.

(b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of employment and economic development.

(c) "Dislocated worker" means an individual who is a resident of Minnesota at the time
employment ceased or was working in the state at the time employment ceased and:

(1) has been permanently separated or has received a notice of permanent separation
from public or private sector employment and is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement
to unemployment benefits, and is unlikely to return to the previous industry or occupation;

(2) has been long-term unemployed and has limited opportunities for employment or
reemployment in the same or a similar occupation in the area in which the individual resides,
including older individuals who may have substantial barriers to employment by reason of
age;

(3) has been terminated or has received a notice of termination of employment as a result
of a plant closing or a substantial layoff at a plant, facility, or enterprise;

(4) has been self-employed, including farmers and ranchers, and is unemployed as a
result of general economic conditions in the community in which the individual resides or
because of natural disasters;

(5) is a veteran as defined by section 197.447, has been discharged or released from
active duty under honorable conditions within the last 36 months, and (i) is unemployed or
(ii) is employed in a job verified to be below the skill level and earning capacity of the
veteran;

(6) is an individual determined by the United States Department of Labor to be covered
by trade adjustment assistance under United States Code, title 19, sections 2271 to 2331,
as amended; or

(7) is a displaced homemaker. A "displaced homemaker" is an individual who has spent
a substantial number of years in the home providing homemaking service and (i) has been
dependent upon the financial support of another; and deleted text begin now deleted text end due to divorce, separation, death,
or disability of that person, must new text begin now new text end find employment to self support; or (ii) derived the
substantial share of support from public assistance on account of dependents in the home
and no longer receives such support. To be eligible under this clause, the support must have
ceased while the worker resided in Minnesota.

For the purposes of this section, "dislocated worker" does not include an individual who
was an employee, at the time employment ceased, of a political committee, political fund,
principal campaign committee, or party unit, as those terms are used in chapter 10A, or an
organization required to file with the federal elections commission.

(d) "Eligible organization" means a state or local government unit, nonprofit organization,
community action agency, business organization or association, or labor organization.

(e) "Plant closing" means the announced or actual permanent shutdown of a single site
of employment, or one or more facilities or operating units within a single site of
employment.

(f) "Substantial layoff" means a permanent reduction in the workforce, which is not a
result of a plant closing, and which results in an employment loss at a single site of
employment during any 30-day period for at least 50 employees excluding those employees
that work less than 20 hours per week.

Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 116U.25, is amended to read:

116U.25 EXPLORE MINNESOTA TOURISM COUNCIL.

(a) The director shall be advised by the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council consisting
of up to deleted text begin 28 deleted text end new text begin 35 new text end voting members appointed by the governor for four-year terms, including:

(1) the director of Explore Minnesota Tourism who serves as the chair;

(2) deleted text begin eleven deleted text end new text begin fourteen new text end representatives of statewide associations representing bed and
breakfast establishments, golf, festivals and events, counties, convention and visitor bureaus,
lodging, resorts, trails, campgrounds, restaurants, deleted text begin and deleted text end new text begin craft beverage establishments, new text end chambers
of commerce new text begin , chambers of commerce for underrepresented communities, and Tribal nations new text end ;

(3) one representative from each of the tourism marketing regions of the state as
designated by the office;

(4) deleted text begin six deleted text end new text begin ten new text end representatives of the tourism business representing transportation, retail,
travel agencies, tour operators, travel media, deleted text begin and deleted text end convention facilities new text begin , arts and culture,
sports, outdoor recreation, and tourism business owners from underrepresented communities new text end ;

(5) one or more ex officio nonvoting members including at least one from the University
of Minnesota Tourism Center;

(6) four legislators, two from each house, one each from the two largest political party
caucuses in each house, appointed according to the rules of the respective houses; and

(7) other persons, if any, as designated from time to time by the governor.

(b) The council shall act to serve the broader interests of tourism in Minnesota by
promoting activities that support, maintain, and expand the state's domestic and international
travel market, thereby generating increased visitor expenditures, tax revenue, and
employment.

(c) Filling of membership vacancies is as provided in section 15.059. The terms of
one-half of the members shall be coterminous with the governor and the terms of the
remaining one-half of the members shall end on the first Monday in January one year after
the terms of the other members. Members may serve until their successors are appointed
and qualify. Members are not compensated. A member may be reappointed.

(d) The council shall meet at least four times per year and at other times determined by
the council.

(e) If compliance with section 13D.02 is impractical, the Explore Minnesota Tourism
Council may conduct a meeting of its members by telephone or other electronic means so
long as the following conditions are met:

(1) all members of the council participating in the meeting, wherever their physical
location, can hear one another and can hear all discussion and testimony;

(2) members of the public present at the regular meeting location of the council can hear
clearly all discussion and testimony and all votes of members of the council and, if needed,
receive those services required by sections 15.44 and 15.441;

(3) at least one member of the council is physically present at the regular meeting location;
and

(4) all votes are conducted by roll call, so each member's vote on each issue can be
identified and recorded.

(f) Each member of the council participating in a meeting by telephone or other electronic
means is considered present at the meeting for purposes of determining a quorum and
participating in all proceedings.

(g) If telephone or other electronic means is used to conduct a meeting, the council, to
the extent practical, shall allow a person to monitor the meeting electronically from a remote
location. The council may require the person making such a connection to pay for
documented marginal costs that the council incurs as a result of the additional connection.

(h) If telephone or other electronic means is used to conduct a regular, special, or
emergency meeting, the council shall provide notice of the regular meeting location, of the
fact that some members may participate by telephone or other electronic means, and of the
provisions of paragraph (g). The timing and method of providing notice is governed by
section 13D.04.

Sec. 7.

new text begin [298.2216] GIANTS RIDGE ACCOUNT.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Account established. new text end

new text begin The Giants Ridge account is established in the
state treasury. The account consists of appropriations made by the state or funds dedicated
by the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation. The account may also
receive private contributions, gifts, or grants under section 16A.013. Any interest or profit
accruing from investment of these sums is credited to the account.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the
meanings given.
new text end

new text begin (b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of Iron Range resources and rehabilitation.
new text end

new text begin (c) "Income" means the amount of interest or profit accruing from the investment of
account funds.
new text end

new text begin (d) "Long-term maintenance" means activities that would constitute substantial repairs
or rehabilitation.
new text end

new text begin (e) "Routine maintenance" means activities that are predictable and repetitive.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Use of funds. new text end

new text begin (a) Income derived from the investment of principal in the account
may be used by the commissioner for capital expenditures, facility operations, or routine
or long-term maintenance of the commercial, state-owned assets within the Giants Ridge
Recreation Area. No money from this account may be used for any purposes except those
described in this section and no money from this account may be transferred to any other
account in the state treasury without specific legislative authorization.
new text end

new text begin (b) Investment management fees incurred by the State Board of Investment are eligible
expenses for reimbursement from the account.
new text end

new text begin (c) The commissioner has authority to approve or deny expenditures of funds in the
account.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Appropriation. new text end

new text begin Income in the account derived from the investment of principal
is appropriated upon request by the commissioner to the agency for the purposes described
in this section. The commissioner may also request appropriations from the principal for
capital expenditures when the commissioner determines such expenditures are in the best
interest of the agency.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Investment. new text end

new text begin Funds in the account shall be invested pursuant to law by the State
Board of Investment.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 8. new text begin DEPARTMENT OF IRON RANGE RESOURCES AND REHABILITATION;
AUTHORIZATION OF SEPARATION AND RETENTION INCENTIVE
PROGRAMS.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of Iron Range resources and rehabilitation may provide separation
and retention incentive programs for employees of the agency that are consistent with the
provisions of Laws 2009, chapter 78, article 7, section 2, as amended by Laws 2010, chapters
215, article 9, section 2, and 216, section 53. The cost of such incentives are payable solely
by funds made available to the commissioner of Iron Range resources and rehabilitation
under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 298. Employees must not be required to participate in
the programs. This section expires December 31, 2024.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end