HF 1168

1st Engrossment - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; authorizing commissioner 
  1.3             of transportation to charge varying user fees for 
  1.4             single-occupant vehicles using high-occupancy vehicle 
  1.5             lanes; allowing electronic toll collection; depositing 
  1.6             money in special revenue fund; appropriating money for 
  1.7             implementation and transit improvements; exempting 
  1.8             commissioner from rulemaking and certain statutory 
  1.9             provisions; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.10            Statutes, chapter 160. 
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  [160.93] [USER FEES; HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLE 
  1.13  LANES.] 
  1.14     Subdivision 1.  [FEES AUTHORIZED.] To improve efficiency 
  1.15  and provide more options to individuals traveling in a trunk 
  1.16  highway corridor, the commissioner of transportation may charge 
  1.17  user fees to owners of single-occupant vehicles using designated 
  1.18  high-occupancy vehicle lanes.  The fees may be collected using 
  1.19  electronic or other toll-collection methods and may vary in 
  1.20  amount with the time of day and level of traffic congestion 
  1.21  within the corridor.  The commissioner shall consult with the 
  1.22  metropolitan council and obtain necessary federal authorizations 
  1.23  before implementing user fees on a high-occupancy vehicle lane. 
  1.24     Subd. 2.  [DEPOSIT OF REVENUES; APPROPRIATION.] Money 
  1.25  collected from fees authorized under subdivision 1 must be 
  1.26  deposited in a high-occupancy vehicle lane user fee account in 
  1.27  the special revenue fund.  A separate account must be 
  1.28  established for each trunk highway corridor.  For each such 
  2.1   account: 
  2.2      (1) one-half of all money in the account is appropriated to 
  2.3   the commissioner for implementation and administration of the 
  2.4   user fee system and for transportation capital improvements to 
  2.5   the corridor; and 
  2.6      (2) one-half of all money in the account is appropriated to 
  2.7   the metropolitan council for expansion and improvement of 
  2.8   transit and carpooling services within the corridor beyond the 
  2.9   level of service provided on January 1, 2003. 
  2.10     Subd. 3.  [EXEMPTIONS.] With respect to this section, the 
  2.11  commissioner is exempt from statutory rulemaking requirements 
  2.12  and from sections 160.84 to 160.92 and 161.162 to 161.167.