HF 2215

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 03/15/2021 03:09pm

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; directing that unspent funds in the 911 emergency
telecommunications service account be used for grants to counties to design,
develop, implement, operate, and maintain the geographic information system;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 403.11,
subdivision 1.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2020, 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 deleted text begin may deleted text end new text begin shall new text end be appropriated deleted text begin from time to time deleted text end to the commissioner to provide financial
assistance to counties for the improvement of local emergency telecommunications services deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin ,
including:
new text end

new text begin (1) the design, development, implementation, and ongoing operation of the geographic
information systems necessary to implement Minnesota's next generation 911 service
pursuant to section 403.392, subdivision 2;
new text end

new text begin (2) the development of and support for the implementation of computer aided dispatch
interoperability, including the networks to support such interoperability; and
new text end

new text begin (3) other maintenance, updates, and improvement of public safety answering points.
new text end

(c) The fee may not be less than eight cents nor more than 65 cents a month 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, 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 management and budget, 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. deleted text begin 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. deleted text end 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, except that the fee
imposed under this subdivision does not apply to prepaid wireless telecommunications
service, which is instead subject to the fee imposed under section 403.161, subdivision 1,
paragraph (a).

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

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION; GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS GRANTS.
new text end

new text begin $....... in fiscal year 2022 and $....... in fiscal year 2023 are appropriated from the 911
emergency telecommunications service account to the commissioner of public safety for
grants to counties for the design, development, implementation, and ongoing operation of
the geographic information systems pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 403.11,
subdivision 1, paragraph (b).
new text end