1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to public safety; creating emergency 
  1.3             management grant program; appropriating money; 
  1.4             proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.5             chapter 12. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [12.50] [EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GRANT PROGRAM.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [GRANT PROGRAM.] An emergency management 
  1.9   grant program is established to be administered by the state 
  1.10  director, consisting of grants to counties and cities to enable 
  1.11  them to enhance the effectiveness of their emergency management 
  1.12  offices. 
  1.13     Subd. 2.  [PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT.] The state director shall 
  1.14  consult with the Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers in 
  1.15  formulating criteria to implement the grant program. 
  1.16     Subd. 3.  [ELIGIBILITY.] To be eligible for a grant under 
  1.17  this program, a county or city must: 
  1.18     (1) employ a county or city emergency manager as authorized 
  1.19  by section 12.25, who is certified to serve in this position by 
  1.20  the state director; 
  1.21     (2) submit a written plan for the proposed expenditures to 
  1.22  enhance the functioning of the county or city emergency 
  1.23  management office in accordance with the program rules; and 
  1.24     (3) apply for the grant according to procedures established 
  1.25  for this program by the state director in coordination with the 
  2.1   Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers and receive written 
  2.2   approval from the state director for the grant in advance of 
  2.3   making the proposed expenditures. 
  2.4      Subd. 4.  [GRANT APPLICATION.] (a) A grant application must 
  2.5   be submitted to the division according to procedures established 
  2.6   by the state director in coordination with the Association of 
  2.7   Minnesota Emergency Managers.  The grant application must 
  2.8   include a specific description of the plan for enhancing the 
  2.9   operation of the county or city emergency management office. 
  2.10     (b) The state director shall approve a grant application 
  2.11  only if it meets the criteria for eligibility as established and 
  2.12  announced by the state director and if there are sufficient 
  2.13  funds remaining in the grant program to cover the amount of the 
  2.14  grant.  The state director may request modification of a plan.  
  2.15  If the state director rejects a grant application, written 
  2.16  reasons for the rejection must be provided to the applicant 
  2.17  county or city and the county or city may modify the application 
  2.18  and resubmit it. 
  2.19     Subd. 5.  [QUALIFYING USES.] The state director shall 
  2.20  determine whether the plan specified in the grant application 
  2.21  will enable the applicant county or city to enhance the 
  2.22  effectiveness of its county or city emergency management office. 
  2.23     Notwithstanding subdivision 3, clause (1), a county or city 
  2.24  may apply for and use a grant for the training and education 
  2.25  required by the state director for a newly employed county or 
  2.26  city emergency management employee to acquire state 
  2.27  certification or for the continuing education of other staff. 
  2.28     Subd. 6.  [GRANT AMOUNT.] (a) The amount of each grant must 
  2.29  be determined by the state director and may not exceed the 
  2.30  lesser of: 
  2.31     (1) the amount specified in the grant application to be 
  2.32  spent on the plan for enhancing the effectiveness of the county 
  2.33  or city emergency management office; or 
  2.34     (2) the county's or city's share of the total funds 
  2.35  available under the program, determined in the following manner: 
  2.36     (i) if the county's or city's population is less than 
  3.1   5,000, the county's or city's grant share is $4,000; 
  3.2      (ii) if the county's or city's population is 5,000 or more, 
  3.3   but less than 15,000, the county's or city's grant share is 
  3.4   $6,000; 
  3.5      (iii) if the county's or city's population is 15,000 or 
  3.6   more, but less than 25,000, the county's or city's share is 
  3.7   $8,000; or 
  3.8      (iv) if the county's or city's population is 25,000 or 
  3.9   more, the county's or city's grant share is $10,000. 
  3.10     (b) In any year, only one-half of the counties or cities in 
  3.11  each of the four emergency management population categories in 
  3.12  paragraph (a), clause (2), items (i) to (iv), may be awarded 
  3.13  grants.  Grants must be awarded on a first-come first-served 
  3.14  basis to counties or cities submitting applications that meet 
  3.15  the state director's criteria.  A county or city not receiving a 
  3.16  grant in any given year shall receive priority consideration for 
  3.17  a grant the following year. 
  3.18     (c) In any year, after a period of time to be determined by 
  3.19  the state director in coordination with the Association of 
  3.20  Minnesota Emergency Managers, amounts remaining from 
  3.21  undistributed shares of county or city grants may be reallocated 
  3.22  to the other counties or cities who have submitted qualifying 
  3.23  application. 
  3.24     (d) The latest federal census data must be used to 
  3.25  determine the county or city populations. 
  3.26     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.27     $........ is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.28  commissioner of public safety for the purposes of section 1.  
  3.29  This appropriation is available until June 30, 2001.