1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; establishing major 
  1.3             transportation projects commission; requiring 
  1.4             commissioner of transportation to enumerate major 
  1.5             projects; requiring major transportation projects 
  1.6             commission to report to legislature; proposing coding 
  1.7             for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 174. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [174.55] [MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS 
  1.10  COMMISSION.] 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [CREATION AND PURPOSE.] A major 
  1.12  transportation projects commission is created to set priorities 
  1.13  among proposed major transportation projects in which the 
  1.14  department of transportation is involved and report these 
  1.15  priorities to the governor and to the legislature. 
  1.16     Subd. 2.  [COMPOSITION.] The major transportation projects 
  1.17  commission is composed of the governor; three citizen members 
  1.18  appointed by the governor and serving at the pleasure of the 
  1.19  governor; five senators appointed by the subcommittee on 
  1.20  committees of the committee on rules and administration, two of 
  1.21  whom must not be members of the senate majority party; and five 
  1.22  members of the house of representatives appointed by the 
  1.23  speaker, two of whom must not be members of the house majority 
  1.24  party.  The commissioner of transportation shall serve as a 
  1.25  nonvoting member.  The commission shall elect a chair from among 
  1.26  its members.  Nongovernment members of the commission shall 
  2.1   receive compensation in accordance with section 15.059, 
  2.2   subdivision 3. 
  2.3      Subd. 3.  [DUTIES.] The major transportation projects 
  2.4   commission shall review reports submitted under subdivision 4.  
  2.5   The commission shall recommend approval, approval with 
  2.6   modifications, or disapproval of each project included in the 
  2.7   reports of the commissioner of transportation and shall 
  2.8   enumerate approved major transportation projects in 
  2.9   chronological order of priority.  The commission shall submit a 
  2.10  major transportation projects program to the governor or 
  2.11  governor-elect, the legislature, and the transportation 
  2.12  committees of the house of representatives and the senate no 
  2.13  later than September 30 of each year. 
  2.14     Subd. 4.  [COMMISSIONER REPORT.] The commissioner of 
  2.15  transportation shall report to the commission not later than 
  2.16  July 15 of each year.  The report must consist of a listing of 
  2.17  candidate projects for enumeration that meet the criteria of 
  2.18  major transportation projects within the definition in 
  2.19  subdivision 5, and a listing of proposed projects for study that 
  2.20  the commissioner believes have the potential of being major 
  2.21  transportation projects but do not have draft environmental 
  2.22  impact statements. 
  2.23     Subd. 5.  [MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECT.] A major 
  2.24  transportation project is a project that meets each of the 
  2.25  following criteria: 
  2.26     (1) involves the department of transportation; 
  2.27     (2) has a total cost of more than $5,000,000; 
  2.28     (3) is a critical element of the transportation system of 
  2.29  its region and the state; and 
  2.30     (4) has a completed draft environmental impact statement. 
  2.31     Subd. 6.  [CONSTRUCTION OF TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.] The 
  2.32  department may not construct a major transportation project 
  2.33  without first submitting the project to the major transportation 
  2.34  projects commission and receiving specific legislative 
  2.35  authorization.  Legislative authorization for the construction 
  2.36  of major transportation projects may not include any projects 
  3.1   that have not been recommended in a report of the major 
  3.2   transportation projects commission.  Within any six-year period, 
  3.3   the department may not construct a transportation project 
  3.4   consisting of separate contiguous projects that do not 
  3.5   individually qualify as major transportation projects, but which 
  3.6   in their entirety would constitute a major transportation 
  3.7   project, without first submitting the project to the major 
  3.8   transportation projects commission for its recommendations and 
  3.9   report and without specific legislative authorization. 
  3.10     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.11     Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment 
  3.12  and is repealed June 30, 2001.