1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to transportation; establishing 
  1.3             transportation policy for the metropolitan area; 
  1.4             requiring a performance audit of the metropolitan 
  1.5             transportation system; expanding the metropolitan 
  1.6             council's authority over metropolitan area highways; 
  1.7             requiring the council to establish a community-based 
  1.8             transit demonstration program; providing a service 
  1.9             incentive for opt-outs; providing for legislative 
  1.10            auditor to prepare a best practices report; requiring 
  1.11            the council to prepare a transit redesign plan for 
  1.12            1997; requiring legislative report; withholding 
  1.13            portion of appropriations to council and department of 
  1.14            transportation unless certain standards satisfied; 
  1.15            amending Minnesota Statutes 1994, sections 174.03, 
  1.16            subdivision 5; 473.167, subdivision 1; and 473.388, by 
  1.17            adding a subdivision; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.18            Minnesota Statutes, chapter 473. 
  1.19  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.20     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 174.03, 
  1.21  subdivision 5, is amended to read: 
  1.22     Subd. 5.  [REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.] The 
  1.23  metropolitan council, pursuant to section 473.146, and the 
  1.24  regional development commissions shall develop regional 
  1.25  long-range transportation policy plans in cooperation with the 
  1.26  commissioner and local units of government.  Upon promulgation 
  1.27  of the statewide transportation plan, and periodically as 
  1.28  necessary thereafter, each regional policy plan for regions 
  1.29  outside the metropolitan area, shall be reviewed and amended, if 
  1.30  necessary, by the appropriate regional agency to insure that the 
  1.31  regional policy plan is not in conflict with the statewide 
  1.32  transportation plan.  In the metropolitan area, the metropolitan 
  2.1   council shall review and approve the statewide transportation 
  2.2   plan to insure that it conforms to the transportation policy 
  2.3   plan adopted by the council.  If the council does not approve 
  2.4   the plan, then the plan does not apply in the metropolitan area, 
  2.5   as defined in section 473.121, but does apply to the rest of the 
  2.6   state. 
  2.7      Sec. 2.  [473.1465] [TRANSPORTATION POLICY.] 
  2.8      Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITION.] For the purposes of this 
  2.9   section and section 473.1466 "commuting area" means the 
  2.10  metropolitan area and counties outside the metropolitan area in 
  2.11  which five percent or more of the residents commute to 
  2.12  employment in the metropolitan area. 
  2.13     Subd. 2.  [REVISED TRANSPORTATION POLICY PLAN.] The 
  2.14  metropolitan council shall adopt, after appropriate public 
  2.15  comment, a revised transportation policy plan that: 
  2.16     (1) is consistent with and promotes the policies of the 
  2.17  Regional Blueprint, adopted by the council in September of 1994; 
  2.18     (2) is consistent with and promotes the goals of the 
  2.19  metropolitan livable communities act; 
  2.20     (3) identifies and summarizes issues concerning commuting 
  2.21  into and out of the seven-county area from the commuting area; 
  2.22     (4) integrates and maximizes the efficiencies and 
  2.23  effectiveness of all modes of transportation in the region; and 
  2.24     (5) reflects and does not exceed current available 
  2.25  resources. 
  2.26     The council shall adopt the revised transportation policy 
  2.27  plan by December 31, 1996. 
  2.28     Subd. 3.  [PROJECT EVALUATION.] As part of developing the 
  2.29  revised transportation policy plan, the council shall evaluate 
  2.30  all proposed and pending transportation projects that are 
  2.31  subject to council review and report to the legislature the 
  2.32  results of council's evaluation. 
  2.33     Sec. 3.  [473.1466] [PERFORMANCE AUDIT.] 
  2.34     In 1997 and every four years thereafter, the council shall 
  2.35  provide for an independent entity selected through a request for 
  2.36  proposal process conducted nationwide to do a biennial 
  3.1   performance audit of the commuting area's transportation system 
  3.2   as a whole.  The performance audit must evaluate the commuting 
  3.3   area's ability to meet the region's needs for effective and 
  3.4   efficient transportation of goods and people, evaluate future 
  3.5   trends and their impacts on the region's transportation system, 
  3.6   and make recommendations for improving the system.  The 
  3.7   performance audit must recommend performance-funding measures. 
  3.8   In 1997 and every two years thereafter, the council must 
  3.9   evaluate the performance of the metropolitan transit system's 
  3.10  operation in relationship to the regional transit performance 
  3.11  standards developed by the council. 
  3.12     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 473.167, 
  3.13  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  3.14     Subdivision 1.  [CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGHWAYS AND TRANSIT 
  3.15  FIXED-GUIDEWAYS; COUNCIL APPROVAL.] Before acquiring land for or 
  3.16  constructing a controlled access highway or other highway that 
  3.17  the Minnesota department of transportation functionally 
  3.18  classifies as a principal arterial highway, or transit 
  3.19  fixed-guideway in the area, the state transportation department 
  3.20  or local government unit proposing the acquisition or 
  3.21  construction shall submit to the council a statement describing 
  3.22  the proposed project.  The statement must be in the form and 
  3.23  detail required by the council.  The council shall review the 
  3.24  statement to ascertain its consistency with its policy plan and 
  3.25  the development guide.  No project may be undertaken unless the 
  3.26  council determines that it is consistent with the policy plan.  
  3.27  This approval is in addition to the requirements of any other 
  3.28  statute, ordinance or rule. 
  3.29     Sec. 5.  [473.3875] [TRANSIT FOR LIVABLE COMMUNITIES.] 
  3.30     The council shall establish a transit for livable 
  3.31  communities demonstration program fund.  The council shall adopt 
  3.32  guidelines for selecting and evaluating demonstration projects 
  3.33  for funding.  The selection guidelines must include provisions 
  3.34  evaluating projects: 
  3.35     (1) interrelating development or redevelopment and transit; 
  3.36     (2) interrelating affordable housing and employment growth 
  4.1   areas; 
  4.2      (3) helping intensify land use that leads to more compact 
  4.3   development or redevelopment; 
  4.4      (4) coordinating school transportation and public transit 
  4.5   service; 
  4.6      (5) implementing recommendations of the transit redesign 
  4.7   plan; or 
  4.8      (6) otherwise promoting the goals of the metropolitan 
  4.9   livable communities act. 
  4.10     Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 473.388, is 
  4.11  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  4.12     Subd. 7.  [SERVICE INCENTIVE.] A replacement transit 
  4.13  service shall receive an additional two percent of available 
  4.14  local transit funds, as defined in subdivision 4, if the service 
  4.15  increased its ridership for trips that originate outside of the 
  4.16  replacement transit service's member communities and serve the 
  4.17  employment centers in those communities by at least five percent 
  4.18  from the previous year, provided the service operates within 
  4.19  regional performance standards.  A replacement transit service 
  4.20  that is receiving the maximum amount of available local transit 
  4.21  funds may receive up to two percent over the maximum amount set 
  4.22  in subdivision 4 if it increases its ridership as provided in 
  4.23  this subdivision.  The additional funding received under this 
  4.24  subdivision may be reserved by the replacement transit service 
  4.25  for future use. 
  4.26     Sec. 7.  [BEST PRACTICES REPORT.] 
  4.27     The legislative audit commission is requested to direct the 
  4.28  legislative auditor to prepare and submit to the legislature by 
  4.29  December 1, 1996, a best practices report on cooperative and 
  4.30  integrated transit services that are effective and efficient.  
  4.31  To the extent available, the report must include information on 
  4.32  best practices for regular route public transit service, transit 
  4.33  that links jobs and housing, integrating private transit 
  4.34  services with public transit services, and integrating school 
  4.35  transportation with public transit services. 
  4.36     Sec. 8.  [METROPOLITAN TRANSIT REDESIGN.] 
  5.1      Subdivision 1.  [1997 PLAN.] The metropolitan council shall 
  5.2   present to the 1997 legislature a status report on the 
  5.3   implementation plan for improved transit service for the 
  5.4   region.  The plan must be developed with the assistance of an 
  5.5   advisory committee established by the council.  At a minimum, 
  5.6   the plan must: 
  5.7      (1) utilize community-based transit services; 
  5.8      (2) encourage local initiatives for improved transit 
  5.9   service; 
  5.10     (3) encourage coordination of various public transit 
  5.11  services and private, for-profit, and nonprofit transit services 
  5.12  that do not receive transit subsidies from the council; 
  5.13     (4) establish performance measures that further transit 
  5.14  goals for the region that are consistent with and promote the 
  5.15  policies of the Regional Blueprint and the metropolitan livable 
  5.16  communities act; and 
  5.17     (5) include an operating and capital budget projection for 
  5.18  the biennium ending June 30, 1999. 
  5.19     Subd. 2.  [ADVISORY COMMITTEE.] The council shall utilize 
  5.20  an advisory committee to assist the council in preparing the 
  5.21  plan required under subdivision 1.  Members of the committee 
  5.22  must represent local community interests.  Members of the 
  5.23  advisory committee shall serve without compensation but may be 
  5.24  reimbursed by the council for reasonable expenses. 
  5.25     Sec. 9.  [STUDY; PAYING FOR NEW GROWTH.] 
  5.26     The metropolitan council shall identify means of insuring 
  5.27  that new development pays the costs associated with the new 
  5.28  development, including, but not limited to, the costs of 
  5.29  infrastructure to accommodate the new development and the 
  5.30  present value of services provided by public entities.  The 
  5.31  council shall report its findings to the legislature by December 
  5.32  15, 1996. 
  5.33     Sec. 10.  [PERFORMANCE MEASURES TO BE MET.] 
  5.34     Subdivision 1.  [METROPOLITAN COUNCIL.] If the metropolitan 
  5.35  council is appropriated money from the general fund for public 
  5.36  transit operations for fiscal year 1997, 1.5 percent shall be 
  6.1   made available to the council after June 1, 1997, only if the 
  6.2   commissioner of finance determines that metropolitan council 
  6.3   transit operations passengers per revenue hour productivity has 
  6.4   increased in a one-year period between the effective date of 
  6.5   this section and June 1, 1997.  Another 1.5 percent shall be 
  6.6   made available to the council after June 1, 1997, only if the 
  6.7   commissioner of finance determines that metropolitan council 
  6.8   transit operations subsidy per passenger has decreased in a 
  6.9   one-year period between the effective date of this section and 
  6.10  June 1, 1997. 
  6.11     Subd. 2.  [DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.] If the 
  6.12  commissioner of transportation is appropriated money from the 
  6.13  trunk highway fund in 1996 for state road construction, five 
  6.14  percent shall be made available to the commissioner after June 
  6.15  1, 1997, only if the commissioner of finance determines that the 
  6.16  department of transportation's administrative costs have 
  6.17  decreased as a percentage of construction costs in a one-year 
  6.18  period between the effective date of this section and June 1, 
  6.19  1997. 
  6.20     Sec. 11.  [PERFORMANCE AUDIT; DEADLINE.] 
  6.21     The metropolitan council's first performance audit report, 
  6.22  required under section 3, must be submitted to the legislature 
  6.23  by December 15, 1997. 
  6.24     Sec. 12.  [TITLE.] 
  6.25     This act may be cited as the "metropolitan transportation 
  6.26  investment act." 
  6.27     Sec. 13.  [APPLICATION.] 
  6.28     Sections 1 to 6, 8, 9, and 11 apply in the counties of 
  6.29  Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington. 
  6.30     Sec. 14.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  6.31     This act is effective the day after final enactment.