1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; eliminating the requirement 
  1.3             that the telecommunications council require the use of 
  1.4             MnNet; appropriating money to the higher education 
  1.5             services office for the learning network of Minnesota 
  1.6             to support development and extension of 
  1.7             telecommunications networks; amending Laws 1993, First 
  1.8             Special Session chapter 2, article 5, section 2, as 
  1.9             amended. 
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  Laws 1993, First Special Session chapter 2, 
  1.12  article 5, section 2, as amended by Laws 1994, chapter 532, 
  1.13  article 2, section 13, is amended to read: 
  1.14     Sec. 2.  [TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL.] A 19-member 
  1.15  telecommunications council shall be established and composed 
  1.16  of:  two representatives selected by each public higher 
  1.17  education system, a representative of the higher education 
  1.18  board, a regional telecommunications coordinator, one member of 
  1.19  the senate appointed by the subcommittee on committees of the 
  1.20  committee on rules and administration, one member of the house 
  1.21  of representatives appointed by the speaker, one private college 
  1.22  representative selected by the Minnesota private college 
  1.23  council, a representative of the information policy office of 
  1.24  the department of administration, four members appointed by the 
  1.25  commissioner of education to represent K-12 education of whom at 
  1.26  least two shall be representatives of school districts or K-12 
  1.27  telecommunications networks, and one higher education 
  2.1   coordinating board representative.  The council shall: 
  2.2      (1) develop a statewide vision and plans for the use of 
  2.3   distance learning technologies and provide leadership in 
  2.4   implementing the use of such technologies; 
  2.5      (2) develop educational policy relating to 
  2.6   telecommunications; 
  2.7      (3) determine priorities for use; 
  2.8      (4) oversee coordination with campuses, K-12 education, and 
  2.9   regional educational telecommunications; and 
  2.10     (5) require the use of the Minnesota Network where 
  2.11  operationally, technically, and economically feasible in order 
  2.12  to maximize the state's telecommunication resources; and 
  2.13     (6) determine priorities for grant funding proposals. 
  2.14     The council shall consult with representatives of the 
  2.15  telecommunication industry in implementing this subdivision. 
  2.16     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.17     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.18  higher education services offices for the learning network of 
  2.19  Minnesota for the 1998-1999 biennium in the following amounts 
  2.20  for the following purposes: 
  2.21     (1) $....... to assist in establishing a gigabit capacity 
  2.22  point of presence at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and 
  2.23  to support the university's participation in the national 
  2.24  internet two initiative for research and development of 
  2.25  telecommunications networks.  This appropriation is available to 
  2.26  the extent matched by the University of Minnesota or private 
  2.27  sources; 
  2.28     (2) $....... to link the following campuses of the state 
  2.29  public higher education systems to telecommunications networks 
  2.30  at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities through connections 
  2.31  having a bandwidth capacity of at least 45 megabytes per second: 
  2.32  Bemidji, St. Cloud, Winona, Mankato, Marshall, University Center 
  2.33  Rochester, Duluth, Moorhead, Morris, and Crookston; and 
  2.34     (3) $....... to establish a secure server meeting United 
  2.35  Nations global tradepoint network standards for electronic 
  2.36  trading centers at one campus at each city listed in clause (2). 
  3.1      The telecommunications networks shall emphasize 
  3.2   interconnectivity and interoperability.  The telecommunications 
  3.3   council, after consultation with the University of Minnesota and 
  3.4   the Minnesota state colleges and universities, shall encourage 
  3.5   the aggregation of service acquisition in the cities listed in 
  3.6   clause (2) with other public and private service purchases in 
  3.7   those cities; and develop procedures to make capacity on related 
  3.8   networks available to other governmental entities and private 
  3.9   users. 
  3.10     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.11     Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.