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 for criteria 
  1.9             for route elimination or service reduction; providing 
  1.10            a service incentive for opt-outs; providing for 
  1.11            legislative auditor to prepare a best practices 
  1.12            report; requiring the council to prepare a transit 
  1.13            redesign plan for 1997; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.14            1994, sections 473.167, subdivision 1; and 473.388, by 
  1.15            adding a subdivision; Minnesota Statutes 1995 
  1.16            Supplement, section 473.391; proposing coding for new 
  1.17            law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 473. 
  1.18  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.19     Section 1.  [473.1466] [TRANSPORTATION POLICY.] 
  1.20     Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITION.] For the purposes of this 
  1.21  section and section 473.1468 "commuting area" means the 
  1.22  metropolitan area and counties outside the metropolitan area in 
  1.23  which five percent or more of the residents commute to 
  1.24  employment in the metropolitan area. 
  1.25     Subd. 2.  [REVISED TRANSPORTATION POLICY PLAN.] The 
  1.26  metropolitan council shall adopt, after appropriate public 
  1.27  comment, a revised transportation policy plan that: 
  1.28     (1) is consistent with state law and council policy; 
  1.29     (2) identifies and summarizes issues concerning commuting 
  1.30  into and out of the seven-county area from the commuting area; 
  1.31     (3) integrates and maximizes the efficiencies and 
  2.1   effectiveness of all modes of transportation in the region; and 
  2.2      (4) reflects and does not exceed current available 
  2.3   resources. 
  2.4      The council shall adopt the revised transportation policy 
  2.5   plan by March 31, 1997. 
  2.6      Subd. 3.  [PROJECT EVALUATION.] As part of developing the 
  2.7   revised transportation policy plan, the council shall evaluate 
  2.8   all proposed and pending transportation projects that are 
  2.9   subject to council review and report to the legislature the 
  2.10  results of council's evaluation. 
  2.11     Sec. 2.  [473.1468] [PERFORMANCE AUDIT.] 
  2.12     In 1997 and every five years thereafter, the council shall 
  2.13  provide for an independent entity selected through a request for 
  2.14  proposal process conducted nationwide to do a performance audit 
  2.15  of the commuting area's transportation system as a whole.  The 
  2.16  performance audit must evaluate the commuting area's ability to 
  2.17  meet the region's needs for effective and efficient 
  2.18  transportation of goods and people, evaluate future trends and 
  2.19  their impacts on the region's transportation system, and make 
  2.20  recommendations for improving the system.  The performance audit 
  2.21  must recommend performance-funding measures. 
  2.22     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 473.167, 
  2.23  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  2.24     Subdivision 1.  [CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGHWAYS AND TRANSIT 
  2.25  FIXED-GUIDEWAYS; COUNCIL APPROVAL.] Before acquiring land for or 
  2.26  constructing a controlled access highway or other highway that 
  2.27  the Minnesota department of transportation functionally 
  2.28  classifies as a principal arterial highway, or transit 
  2.29  fixed-guideway in the area, the state transportation department 
  2.30  or local government unit proposing the acquisition or 
  2.31  construction shall submit to the council a statement describing 
  2.32  the proposed project.  The statement must be in the form and 
  2.33  detail required by the council.  The council shall review the 
  2.34  statement to ascertain its consistency with its policy plan and 
  2.35  the development guide.  No project may be undertaken unless the 
  2.36  council determines that it is consistent with the policy plan.  
  3.1   This approval is in addition to the requirements of any other 
  3.2   statute, ordinance or rule. 
  3.3      Sec. 4.  [473.3875] [TRANSIT FOR LIVABLE COMMUNITIES.] 
  3.4      The council shall establish a transit for livable 
  3.5   communities demonstration program fund.  The council shall adopt 
  3.6   guidelines for selecting and evaluating demonstration projects 
  3.7   for funding.  The selection guidelines must include provisions 
  3.8   evaluating projects: 
  3.9      (1) interrelating development or redevelopment and transit; 
  3.10     (2) interrelating affordable housing and employment growth 
  3.11  areas; 
  3.12     (3) helping intensify land use that leads to more compact 
  3.13  development or redevelopment; 
  3.14     (4) coordinating school transportation and public transit 
  3.15  service; 
  3.16     (5) implementing recommendations of the transit redesign 
  3.17  plan; or 
  3.18     (6) otherwise promoting the goals of the metropolitan 
  3.19  livable communities act. 
  3.20     Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 473.388, is 
  3.21  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  3.22     Subd. 7.  [SERVICE INCENTIVE.] A replacement transit 
  3.23  service shall receive an additional two percent of available 
  3.24  local transit funds, as defined in subdivision 4, if the service 
  3.25  increased its ridership for trips that originate outside of the 
  3.26  replacement transit service's member communities and serve the 
  3.27  employment centers in those communities by at least five percent 
  3.28  from the previous year, provided the service operates within 
  3.29  regional performance standards.  A replacement transit service 
  3.30  that is receiving the maximum amount of available local transit 
  3.31  funds may receive up to two percent over the maximum amount set 
  3.32  in subdivision 4 if it increases its ridership as provided in 
  3.33  this subdivision.  The additional funding received under this 
  3.34  subdivision may be reserved by the replacement transit service 
  3.35  for future use. 
  3.36     Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1995 Supplement, section 
  4.1   473.391, is amended to read: 
  4.2      473.391 [ROUTE PLANNING AND SCHEDULING.] 
  4.3      Subdivision 1.  [CONTRACTS.] The council may contract with 
  4.4   other operators or local governments for route planning and 
  4.5   scheduling services in any configuration of new or 
  4.6   reconfiguration of existing transit services and routes, 
  4.7   including route planning and scheduling necessary for the test 
  4.8   marketing program, the service bidding program, and the 
  4.9   interstate highway described generally as legislative routes 
  4.10  Nos. 10 and 107 between I-494 and the Hawthorne interchange in 
  4.11  the city of Minneapolis, commonly known as I-394.  
  4.12     Subd. 2.  [ROUTE ELIMINATION; SERVICE REDUCTION.] The 
  4.13  council shall, before making a determination to eliminate or 
  4.14  reduce service on existing transit routes, consider: 
  4.15     (1) the level of subsidy per passenger on each route; 
  4.16     (2) the availability and proximity of alternative transit 
  4.17  routes; and 
  4.18     (3) the percentage of transit dependent riders, including 
  4.19  youth, elderly, low-income, and disabled riders currently using 
  4.20  each route. 
  4.21     Sec. 7.  [BEST PRACTICES REPORT.] 
  4.22     The legislative audit commission is requested to direct the 
  4.23  legislative auditor to prepare and submit to the legislature by 
  4.24  December 1, 1996, a best practices report on cooperative and 
  4.25  integrated transit services that are effective and efficient.  
  4.26  To the extent available, the report must include information on 
  4.27  best practices for regular route public transit service, transit 
  4.28  that links jobs and housing, integrating private transit 
  4.29  services with public transit services, and integrating school 
  4.30  transportation with public transit services. 
  4.31     Sec. 8.  [METROPOLITAN TRANSIT REDESIGN.] 
  4.32     Subdivision 1.  [1997 PLAN.] The metropolitan council shall 
  4.33  present to the 1997 legislature a status report on the 
  4.34  implementation plan for improved transit service for the 
  4.35  region.  The plan must be developed with the assistance of an 
  4.36  advisory committee established by the council.  At a minimum, 
  5.1   the plan must: 
  5.2      (1) utilize community-based transit services; 
  5.3      (2) encourage local initiatives for improved transit 
  5.4   service; 
  5.5      (3) encourage coordination of various public transit 
  5.6   services and private, for-profit, and nonprofit transit services 
  5.7   that do not receive transit subsidies from the council; 
  5.8      (4) establish performance measures that further transit 
  5.9   goals for the region that are consistent with and promote the 
  5.10  policies of the Regional Blueprint and the metropolitan livable 
  5.11  communities act; and 
  5.12     (5) include an operating and capital budget projection for 
  5.13  the biennium ending June 30, 1999. 
  5.14     Subd. 2.  [ADVISORY COMMITTEE.] The council shall utilize 
  5.15  an advisory committee to assist the council in preparing the 
  5.16  plan required under subdivision 1.  Members of the committee 
  5.17  must represent local community interests.  Members of the 
  5.18  advisory committee shall serve without compensation but may be 
  5.19  reimbursed by the council for reasonable expenses. 
  5.20     Sec. 9.  [PERFORMANCE AUDIT; DEADLINE.] 
  5.21     The metropolitan council's first performance audit report, 
  5.22  required under section 2 must be submitted to the legislature by 
  5.23  December 15, 1997. 
  5.24     Sec. 10.  [APPLICATION.] 
  5.25     Sections 1 to 5, 8, and 9 apply in the counties of Anoka, 
  5.26  Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington. 
  5.27     Sec. 11.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  5.28     This act is effective the day following final enactment.