HF 1464

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; increasing 911 emergency telecommunications service
fee; providing for completion of statewide public safety radio communication
system; authorizing sale of state bonds; appropriating money; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 403.11, subdivision 1; 403.31, subdivision 1;
repealing Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 403.31, subdivision 6.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 403.11, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Emergency telecommunications service fee; account.

(a) Each
customer of a wireless or wire-line switched or packet-based telecommunications service
provider connected to the public switched telephone network that furnishes service capable
of originating a 911 emergency telephone call is assessed a fee based upon the number
of wired or wireless telephone lines, or their equivalent, to cover the costs of ongoing
maintenance and related improvements for trunking and central office switching equipment
for 911 emergency telecommunications service, to offset administrative and staffing costs
of the commissioner related to managing the 911 emergency telecommunications service
program, to make distributions provided for in section 403.113, and to offset the costs,
including administrative and staffing costs, incurred by the State Patrol Division of the
Department of Public Safety in handling 911 emergency calls made from wireless phones.

(b) Money remaining in the 911 emergency telecommunications service account
after all other obligations are paid must not cancel and is carried forward to subsequent
years and may be appropriated from time to time to the commissioner to provide financial
assistance to counties for the improvement of local emergency telecommunications
services. The improvements may include providing access to 911 service for
telecommunications service subscribers currently without access and upgrading existing
911 service to include automatic number identification, local location identification,
automatic location identification, and other improvements specified in revised county
911 plans approved by the commissioner.

(c) The fee may not be less than eight cents nor more than 65 cents a month new text begin until
June 30, 2008, not less than eight cents nor more than 75 cents a month until June 30,
2009, not less than eight cents nor more than 85 cents a month until June 30, 2010, and
not less than eight cents nor more than 95 cents a month on or after July 1, 2010, new text end for
each customer access line or other basic access service, including trunk equivalents as
designated by the Public Utilities Commission for access charge purposes and including
wireless telecommunications services. With the approval of the commissioner of finance,
the commissioner of public safety shall establish the amount of the fee within the limits
specified and inform the companies and carriers of the amount to be collected. When the
revenue bonds authorized under section 403.27, subdivision 1, have been fully paid or
defeased, the commissioner shall reduce the fee to reflect that debt service on the bonds is
no longer needed. The commissioner shall provide companies and carriers a minimum of
45 days' notice of each fee change. The fee must be the same for all customers.

(d) The fee must be collected by each wireless or wire-line telecommunications
service provider subject to the fee. Fees are payable to and must be submitted to the
commissioner monthly before the 25th of each month following the month of collection,
except that fees may be submitted quarterly if less than $250 a month is due, or annually if
less than $25 a month is due. Receipts must be deposited in the state treasury and credited
to a 911 emergency telecommunications service account in the special revenue fund. The
money in the account may only be used for 911 telecommunications services.

(e) This subdivision does not apply to customers of interexchange carriers.

(f) The installation and recurring charges for integrating wireless 911 calls into
enhanced 911 systems are eligible for payment by the commissioner if the 911 service
provider is included in the statewide design plan and the charges are made pursuant to
contract.

(g) Competitive local exchanges carriers holding certificates of authority from the
Public Utilities Commission are eligible to receive payment for recurring 911 services.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 403.31, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Allocation of operating costs.

deleted text begin The current costs of the board
in implementing the regionwide public safety radio communication plan system and
the first and second phase systems shall be allocated among and paid by the following
users, all in accordance with the regionwide public safety radio system communication
plan adopted by the board:
deleted text end

deleted text begin (1) the state of Minnesota for its operations using the system in the metropolitan
counties;
deleted text end

deleted text begin (2) all local government units using the system; and
deleted text end

deleted text begin (3) other eligible users of the system. deleted text end new text begin (a) The ongoing costs of the commissioner
not otherwise appropriated in operating the statewide public safety radio communication
system shall be allocated among and paid by the following users, all in accordance with
the statewide public safety radio communication system plan under section 403.36:
new text end

new text begin (1) the state of Minnesota for its operations using the system;
new text end

new text begin (2) all local government units using the system; and
new text end

new text begin (3) other eligible users of the system.
new text end

new text begin (b) Each local government and other eligible users of the system shall pay to
the commissioner all sums charged under this section, at the times and in the manner
determined by the commissioner. The governing body of each local government shall
take all action necessary to provide the money required for these payments and to make
the payments when due.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM APPROPRIATIONS new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end new text begin Total Appropriation new text end

new text begin $ new text end

new text begin 5,600,000 new text end

new text begin $ new text end

new text begin 191,704,000 new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end new text begin 911 Emergency Services/ARMER new text end

new text begin 5,600,000 new text end

new text begin 5,704,000 new text end

new text begin This appropriation is from the state
government special revenue fund for 911
emergency telecommunications services.
new text end

new text begin (a) Advance Project Development new text end

new text begin $3,750,000 the first year is a onetime
appropriation for site acquisition and
site development work for the remaining
phases of the statewide radio system. This
appropriation is available until June 30, 2010.
This appropriation is to the commissioner of
public safety for transfer to the commissioner
of transportation.
new text end

new text begin (b) System Design new text end

new text begin $1,850,000 the first year is a onetime
appropriation to complete detailed design
and planning of the remaining phases of the
statewide radio system. The commissioner
of public safety and the commissioner of
transportation shall determine the scope
of the study, after consulting with the
Statewide Radio Board, the commissioner
of administration, and the state chief
information officer. The study must address
the system design for the state backbone
and implications for local coverage, how
data can be integrated, and whether other
public safety communication networks
can be integrated with the state backbone.
The study must estimate the full cost of
completing the state backbone to specified
standards, the cost of local subsystems, and
the potential advantages of using a request
for proposal approach to solicit private sector
participation in the project. The study must
include a financial analysis of whether the
estimated revenue from increasing the 911
fee by up to 30 cents will cover the estimated
debt service of revenue bonds issued to
finance the cost of completing the statewide
radio system and a portion of the cost up to
50 percent for local subsystems. The study
must also review the project organizational
structure and governance.
new text end

new text begin (c) new text begin ARMER Debt Service new text end new text end

new text begin $5,704,000 the second year is to the
commissioner of finance to pay debt service
on revenue bonds issued under Minnesota
Statutes, section 403.275, as authorized in
subdivision 3.
new text end

new text begin Any portion of this appropriation not needed
to pay debt service in a fiscal year may be
used by the commissioner of public safety to
pay cash for any of the capital improvements
for which bond proceeds are appropriated in
subdivision 3.
new text end

new text begin The base for this appropriation is $11,408,000
in fiscal year 2010 and $17,112,000 in fiscal
year 2011.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end new text begin ARMER new text end

new text begin (a) new text begin Public Safety Radio and Communication System new text end new text end

new text begin 186,000,000 new text end

new text begin The appropriations in this subdivision are
from the 911 revenue bond proceeds account
for the purposes indicated, to be available
until the project is completed or abandoned,
subject to Minnesota Statutes, section
16A.642.
new text end

new text begin To the commissioner of public safety for
transfer to the commissioner of transportation
to construct the system backbone of the
public safety radio and communication
system plan under Minnesota Statutes,
section 403.36.
new text end

new text begin $62,000,000 of this appropriation is available
on or after July 1, 2008. $62,000,000 of this
appropriation is available on or after July 1,
2009. $62,000,000 of this appropriation is
available on or after July 1, 2010.
new text end

new text begin This appropriation is not available until
the commissioner of public safety and the
commissioner of transportation have certified
to the chairs of the House Public Safety
Finance Division of the Finance Committee
and the Senate Public Safety Budget Division
of the Finance Committee that the detailed
design has been completed and that the
financial analysis has found that sufficient
revenue will be generated by proposed
changes in the 911 fee to cover all estimated
debt service on revenue bonds proposed
to be issued to complete the system. The
commissioner of finance shall not approve
any fee increase under Minnesota Statutes,
section 403.11, subdivision 1, paragraph (c),
until the certification has been made.
new text end

new text begin (b) new text begin Bond Sale Authorization new text end new text end

new text begin To provide the money appropriated in this
subdivision, the commissioner of finance
shall sell and issue bonds of the state in an
amount up to $186,000,000 in the manner,
upon the terms, and with the effect prescribed
by Minnesota Statutes, section 403.275.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 403.31, subdivision 6, new text end new text begin is repealed.
new text end