1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; creating a major 
  1.3             transportation projects fund; specifying uses for the 
  1.4             fund; providing for allocation of revenue from the 
  1.5             motor vehicle sales tax; authorizing transfer from the 
  1.6             general fund to the major transportation projects 
  1.7             fund; amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 
  1.8             297B.09, subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law 
  1.9             in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 174. 
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  [174.55] [MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS FUND.] 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [FUND CREATED.] A major transportation 
  1.13  projects fund is created in the state treasury.  The fund 
  1.14  consists of money allocated to the fund under section 297B.09, 
  1.15  subdivision 1. 
  1.16     Subd. 2.  [USES OF FUND.] Money in the fund may be 
  1.17  appropriated by law only for the construction, including final 
  1.18  design plans and acquisition of right-of-way, of major 
  1.19  transportation projects.  For purposes of this section a "major 
  1.20  transportation project" is a project that: 
  1.21     (1) is part of the trunk highway system; 
  1.22     (2) has a completed final environmental impact statement or 
  1.23  is a project for which the department has determined that an 
  1.24  environmental impact statement is not required; 
  1.25     (3) has a total cost of at least $5,000,000; and 
  1.26     (4) in the case of a project located in the seven-county 
  1.27  metropolitan area, has been identified by the commissioner as a 
  2.1   freeway or expressway bottleneck, and in the case of a project 
  2.2   located elsewhere in the state, has been designated by the 
  2.3   commissioner as an interregional corridor. 
  2.4      Subd. 3.  [OTHER PROJECTS.] Beginning with the 2002-2003 
  2.5   biennium, the legislature shall each biennium appropriate money 
  2.6   for major transportation projects from the major transportation 
  2.7   projects fund, using the criteria specified in subdivision 2.  
  2.8   At least one-half of the money appropriated under this 
  2.9   subdivision in any fiscal year must be for projects located 
  2.10  outside the seven-county metropolitan area.  Each appropriation 
  2.11  must specify the project for which the appropriation is made and 
  2.12  a date after which any part of the appropriation that has not 
  2.13  been spent for that project reverts to the general fund.  The 
  2.14  commissioner may not reduce the amount of state and federal 
  2.15  funds allocated to a major transportation project in the 
  2.16  commissioner's statewide transportation improvement program in 
  2.17  any fiscal year for which an appropriation for that project is 
  2.18  made under this subdivision. 
  2.19     Subd. 4.  [REPORT TO LEGISLATURE.] The commissioner of 
  2.20  transportation shall report to the legislature each time that 
  2.21  the commissioner changes the allocation of federal funds in the 
  2.22  commissioner's statewide transportation improvement program or 
  2.23  highway work plan to a major transportation project for which an 
  2.24  appropriation has been made under subdivision 3. 
  2.25     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 297B.09, 
  2.26  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  2.27     Subdivision 1.  [GENERAL FUND SHARE.] ~~(a)~~ Money collected 
  2.28  and received under this chapter must be deposited in the state 
  2.29  treasury and credited ~~to the general fund.  The amounts~~ 
  2.30  ~~collected and received shall be credited as provided in this~~ 
  2.31  ~~subdivision, and transferred from the general fund on July 15~~ 
  2.32  ~~and February 15 of each fiscal year.  The commissioner of~~ 
  2.33  ~~finance must make each transfer based upon the actual receipts~~ 
  2.34  ~~of the preceding six calendar months and include the interest~~ 
  2.35  ~~earned during that six-month period.  The commissioner of~~ 
  2.36  ~~finance may establish a quarterly or other schedule providing~~ 
  3.1   ~~for more frequent payments to the transit assistance fund if the~~ 
  3.2   ~~commissioner determines it is necessary or desirable to provide~~ 
  3.3   ~~for the cash flow needs of the recipients of money from the~~ 
  3.4   ~~transit assistance fund.~~  
  3.5      ~~(b) Twenty-five percent of the money collected and received~~ 
  3.6   ~~under this chapter after June 30, 1990, and before July 1, 1991,~~ 
  3.7   ~~must be transferred to the highway user tax distribution fund~~ 
  3.8   ~~and the transit assistance fund for apportionment as follows:~~  
  3.9   ~~75 percent must be transferred to the highway user tax~~ 
  3.10  ~~distribution fund for apportionment in the same manner and for~~ 
  3.11  ~~the same purposes as other money in that fund, and the remaining~~ 
  3.12  ~~25 percent of the money must be transferred to the transit~~ 
  3.13  ~~assistance fund to be appropriated to the commissioner of~~ 
  3.14  ~~transportation for transit assistance within the state and to~~ 
  3.15  ~~the metropolitan council.~~  
  3.16     ~~(c) The distributions under this subdivision to the highway~~ 
  3.17  ~~user tax distribution fund until June 30, 1991, and to the trunk~~ 
  3.18  ~~highway fund thereafter, must be reduced by the amount necessary~~ 
  3.19  ~~to fund the appropriation under section 41A.09, subdivision 1.~~  
  3.20  ~~For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1988, and June 30, 1989,~~ 
  3.21  ~~the commissioner of finance, before making the transfers~~ 
  3.22  ~~required on July 15 and January 15 of each year, shall estimate~~ 
  3.23  ~~the amount required to fund the appropriation under section~~ 
  3.24  ~~41A.09, subdivision 1, for the six-month period for which the~~ 
  3.25  ~~transfer is being made.  The commissioner shall then reduce the~~ 
  3.26  ~~amount transferred to the highway user tax distribution fund by~~ 
  3.27  ~~the amount of that estimate.  The commissioner shall reduce the~~ 
  3.28  ~~estimate for any six-month period by the amount by which the~~ 
  3.29  ~~estimate for the previous six-month period exceeded the amount~~ 
  3.30  ~~needed to fund the appropriation under section 41A.09,~~ 
  3.31  ~~subdivision 1, for that previous six-month period.  If at any~~ 
  3.32  ~~time during a six-month period in those fiscal years the amount~~ 
  3.33  ~~of reduction in the transfer to the highway user tax~~ 
  3.34  ~~distribution fund is insufficient to fund the appropriation~~ 
  3.35  ~~under section 41A.09, subdivision 1, for that period, the~~ 
  3.36  ~~commissioner shall transfer to the general fund from the highway~~ 
  4.1   ~~user tax distribution fund an additional amount sufficient to~~ 
  4.2   ~~fund the appropriation for that period, but the additional~~ 
  4.3   ~~amount so transferred to the general fund in a six-month period~~ 
  4.4   ~~may not exceed the amount transferred to the highway user tax~~ 
  4.5   ~~distribution fund for that six-month period~~ as follows: 
  4.6      (1) From July 1, 2000, to June 30, 2003, one-half of the 
  4.7   proceeds must be credited to the general fund and one-half to 
  4.8   the major transportation projects fund created under section 
  4.9   174.55. 
  4.10     (2) On and after July 1, 2003, all of the proceeds must be 
  4.11  credited to the general fund. 
  4.12     Sec. 3.  [FUND TRANSFER.] 
  4.13     The commissioner of finance shall transfer $260,000,000 
  4.14  from the general fund to the major transportation projects fund. 
  4.15     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  4.16     (a) $....... is appropriated from the major transportation 
  4.17  projects fund to the commissioner of transportation for 
  4.18  improvement of marked trunk highway No. 212 between Cologne and 
  4.19  Hennepin county highway No. 4.  This appropriation is available 
  4.20  until June 30, .....  Any part of this appropriation not spent 
  4.21  as of that date reverts to the general fund. 
  4.22     (b) $....... is appropriated from the major transportation 
  4.23  projects fund to the commissioner of transportation for 
  4.24  replacement of the marked interstate highway No. 494 bridge over 
  4.25  the Mississippi River and related interchange improvements.  
  4.26  This appropriation is available until June 30, .....  Any part 
  4.27  of this appropriation not spent as of that date reverts to the 
  4.28  general fund. 
  4.29     (c) $....... is appropriated from the major transportation 
  4.30  projects fund to the commissioner of transportation for 
  4.31  upgrading of marked trunk highway No. 14 between marked trunk 
  4.32  highway No. 60 and marked trunk highway No. 56.  This 
  4.33  appropriation is available until June 30, .....  Any part of 
  4.34  this appropriation not spent as of that date reverts to the 
  4.35  general fund. 
  4.36     (d) $....... is appropriated from the major transportation 
  5.1   projects fund to the commissioner of transportation for 
  5.2   upgrading of marked trunk highway No. 52, including its common 
  5.3   alignment with marked trunk highway No. 14, from Olmsted county 
  5.4   highway No. 4 to marked trunk highway No. 63.  This 
  5.5   appropriation is available until June 30, .....  Any part of 
  5.6   this appropriation not spent as of that date reverts to the 
  5.7   general fund. 
  5.8      (e) $....... is appropriated from the major transportation 
  5.9   projects fund to the commissioner of transportation for 
  5.10  upgrading of marked trunk highway No. 23 between Willmar and New 
  5.11  London.  This appropriation is available until June 30, .....  
  5.12  Any part of this appropriation not spent as of that date reverts 
  5.13  to the general fund. 
  5.14     (f) The commissioner shall begin construction of the 
  5.15  projects for which money has been appropriated under this 
  5.16  subdivision at the earliest feasible date. 
  5.17     Sec. 5.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  5.18     Sections 1 and 3 are effective June 1, 2000.  Sections 2 
  5.19  and 4 are effective July 1, 2000.