Relating to the organization, operation and financing of state governmentARTICLE 1 - TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS Appropriating money to the department of transportation (DOT) for aeronautics, for airport development and assistance, for aviation support, for air transportation services, for greater Minnesota transit assistance, for transit administration, for railroads and waterways including development of the southern railway corridor improvement plan, for motor carrier regulation, for county and municipal state aids, for local and state roads and highways, for transportation studies and planning, for the Roosevelt signal tower for Lake of the Woods weather broadcasting, for purchase of equipment for the metropolitan area 800 MHz public safety radio system, for general support, management and services and for buildings, to the metropolitan council for transit services, to the department of public safety for administration and related services, for public safety officer survivor benefits, for soft body armor and certain fund reimbursements, for technical support services, for the state patrol and capitol security, for driver and vehicle services including the purchase of an optical scanner, improved driver testing services, increased vehicle license plate costs, disabled parking records management and enforcement and vehicle transfer reporting system implementation and for traffic and pipeline safety, to the Minnesota safety council and to the commissioner of finance for the payment of tort claims; providing for certain fund transfers; requiring a commissioner of transportation local bridge needs study; requiring the commissioner to establish a task force to study seasonal road restrictions and report findings and recommendations to the legislature by a certain date and to outline the process to convert plans, specifications and measurements to the English system of measurement and report to the legislature by a certain earlier date; restricting metropolitan council expenditures for metro mobility; extending the availability of certain prior appropriations to the department of transportation for the purchase of ancillary equipment and personnel for the MHz system and to the department of public safety for assistance to prepare certain individuals for state trooper candidate schoolARTICLE 2 - TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENTEliminating the reduction in the limit on expenditures from the motorcycle safety fund for training and coordinating activities of motorcycle safety instructors and for reimbursements to schools and other approved organizations; modifying the definition of limousine; exempting motor vehicles owned by licensed commercial driving schools and used exclusively for driver education and training from the motor vehicle registration tax; authorizing payment of prorated motor vehicle registration fees following transfer of the vehicle from the dealer; eliminating the motor vehicle registration fee credit for special disabled license plates; authorizing the suspension of motor vehicle registrations for failure to apply for a new certificate of title within a certain number of days of sale of the vehicle; reducing the time limit for delivery of title transfers and increasing the registration reinstatement fee and the time limit for imposition of the fee; requiring motor vehicle certificates of title to include a separate detachable form and to contain certain information for completion and return within a certain number of days of vehicle sale; clarifying the right of operators of vehicles displaying disability certificates or temporary permits to use the special parking privileges, authorizing parking in certain nonmetered spaces governed by signs limiting allowable parking duration and providing for and restricting the use of designated parking spaces by persons parking vehicles for disabled persons; requiring the commissioner of public safety in issuing commercial certificates to organizations to require documentation ensuring nonabuse of the parking privileges; requiring council on disability approval of commissioner issuance of more than a certain number of replacement certificates within a certain period of time; expanding enforcement authority to city or town parking enforcement employees or agents; suspending the eligibility of holders of disability certificates or license plates for issuance or use for allowing ineligible persons to use the certificates or plates; authorizing cities to enact ordinances establishing permit programs for long term parking; permitting certain lighting devices mounted on delivery vehicles; imposing an instruction permit possession duration requirement for adult drivers license eligibility purposes and modifying instruction permit possession requirement for 18 year olds; authorizing home schooling of children in the classroom component of driver education for instruction permit eligibility purposes; requiring the commissioner to provide and maintain photo identification equipment without additional cost to newly appointed drivers license agents in existing offices provided the equipment before a certain date; reducing the fee for Minnesota identification cards issued to persons with mental illness; clarifying the definition of directional signs for highway advertising devices regulation purposes; reducing the local match requirement for under the public transit subsidy program for large urbanized area service; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to obtain sites for the erection of towers and the location of equipment and to construct buildings and structures for the public safety radio communications system, authorizing negotiations with commercial wireless service providers to install privately owned equipment on state lands or in state structures, requiring the charging of a site use fee for deposit in the trunk highway fund; modifying certain provisions regulating motor carriers of passengers, providing for registration and for criminal background checks; requiring the commissioner to develop a corridor improvement plan for certain railroad grade crossings in the southern portion of the state, requiring the plan to include certain grade separation recommendations; modifying the percentage of gasoline determined to be used as fuel for the operation of snowmobiles for gasoline tax apportionment purposes; authorizing the commissioner of public safety to accept paid advertising for departmental publications; modifying certain provisions relating to special number plates for collector aircraft; specifying certain requirements for town or city regulation of taxicabs or small vehicle passenger service; providing for the use of unmarked vehicles by county attorneys for official duties; requiring the metropolitan radio board to report to the legislature by a certain date on the status of the 800 MHz system and extending the life of the board; expanding the use of a certain prior appropriation to the commissioner of transportation to match federal funds for a certain major investment study to a study of the feasibility of extending a certain corridor from St. Cloud to Little Falls for commuter rail service purposes; requiring the commissioner to conduct a study of restoring and extending Amtrak rail passenger service connecting the Twin Cities, Duluth and the iron range; requiring the metropolitan council to study and make recommendations to the legislature by a certain date on regulation by a single agency of taxicabs in the metropolitan area; requiring the department of public safety to review vehicle lighting regulations and recommend certain modifications to the legislature by a certain date; requesting the legislative auditor to gather information and report to the legislature by certain date on expenditures and amount and sources of revenues of the Duluth transit authority, requiring the commissioner of transportation and the DTA to submit to the legislature by a certain date a joint recommendation relating to the appropriate percentage of total operating cost to be paid from local sources; requiring the director of the office of strategic and long range planning to develop a state development strategy proposal for submission to the legislature by a certain date; providing for the conversion of certain certificates or permits previously issued to motor carriers of passengers; temporarily restricting motor carrier service passenger pick ups at the Minneapolis-St. Paul international airport; requiring the commissioner of transportation to study issues relating to relocating or removing utilities from highway construction projects; prohibiting commissioner highway advertising or directional sign regulation actions resulting in a loss of federal funds; authorizing the commissioner to enter into a contract with a private telecommunications company to facilitate the construction of the initial backbone of the public safety radio communication system in the metropolitan area; requiring the commissioner of public safety to report to the legislature on certain dates on revenue from the sale of advertising in department publications and expenditure of the revenue; specifying certain cross reference change instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing certain existing provisions regulating motor carriers of passengers and the light rail transit joint powers board (Ch. 238, 1999)