HF 2797

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to tourism; advertising devices; requiring
appropriate place names to also be signed in Ojibwe or
Dakota language; appropriating money; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections 173.02, subdivision
6; 173.025.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 173.02,
subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

Various signs and notices defined.

Directional
and other official signs and notices shall mean:

(a) "Official signs and notices" mean signs and notices
erected and maintained by public officers or public agencies
within their territorial jurisdiction and pursuant to and in
accordance with direction or authorization contained in federal
or state law for the purposes of carrying out an official duty
or responsibility. Historical markers authorized by state law
and erected by state or local governmental agencies or nonprofit
historical societies, star city new text begin and star county new text end signs erected
under section 173.085, and municipal identification entrance
signs erected in accordance with section 173.025 may be
considered official signs.

(b) "Public utility signs" mean warning signs, notices, or
markers which are customarily erected and maintained by publicly
or privately owned public utilities, as essential to their
operations.

(c) "Service club and religious notices" mean signs and
notices, not exceeding eight square feet in advertising area,
whose erection is authorized by law, relating to meetings and
location of nonprofit service clubs or charitable associations,
or religious services.

(d) "Directional signs" means signs containing directional
information about public places owned or operated by public
authorities as defined in Code of Federal Regulations, title 23,
section 460.2, paragraph (b), or their agencies, publicly or
privately owned natural phenomena, historic, cultural,
scientific, educational, and religious sites, and areas of
natural scenic beauty or naturally suited for outdoor
recreation, deemed to be in the interest of the traveling
public. To qualify for directional signs, privately owned
attractions must be nationally or regionally known, and of
outstanding interest to the traveling public.

(e) All definitions in this subdivision are intended to be
in conformity with the national standards for directional and
other official signs.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 173.025, is
amended to read:

173.025 deleted text begin MUNICIPAL deleted text end new text begin PLACE new text end IDENTIFICATION SIGN.

new text begin (a) new text end A local road authority deleted text begin may deleted text end new text begin shall new text end erect a municipal
identification entrance sign within the right-of-way of a trunk
highway new text begin , but only new text end with the written permission of the
commissioner. Municipal identification entrance signs erected
without the written permission of the commissioner are
prohibited.

new text begin (b) Each road authority shall ensure that an official
notice or sign described in section 173.02, subdivision 6,
paragraph (a), designating a place having an equivalent Ojibwe
or Dakota name display the equivalent name with its Ojibwe or
Dakota meaning, no later than June 30, 2007.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $....... is appropriated to the commissioner of
transportation from the general fund for the purposes of section
2. This appropriation is available for the fiscal biennium
ending June 30, 2007.
new text end