1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to agriculture; establishing an agricultural 
  1.3             research grants board supported by a fee to be levied 
  1.4             on agricultural cropland; reducing tax rates on 
  1.5             certain agricultural properties; appropriating money; 
  1.6             amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 272.02, by 
  1.7             adding a subdivision; proposing coding for new law as 
  1.8             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 41E. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10            MINNESOTA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH GRANTS BOARD
  1.11     Section 1.  [41E.01] [MINNESOTA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 
  1.12  GRANTS BOARD.] 
  1.13     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT; MEMBERSHIP.] (a) The 
  1.14  Minnesota agricultural research grants board is established.  
  1.15     (b) A membership term is two years.  A member in the second 
  1.16  year of the member's term may apply for an additional 
  1.17  consecutive term. 
  1.18     Sec. 2.  [41E.02] [CHAIR; MEETINGS; STAFF.] 
  1.19     (a) The Minnesota agricultural research grants board shall, 
  1.20  at its first meeting each year, elect a chair and other officers 
  1.21  from among its members. 
  1.22     (b) The board must meet at least quarterly to review 
  1.23  applications for research projects, review existing projects, 
  1.24  and perform other business appropriate for the board. 
  1.25     (c) The board may employ an executive director and other 
  1.26  staff necessary to carry out its functions. 
  1.27     Sec. 3.  [41E.03] [DUTIES.] 
  2.1      (a) The Minnesota agricultural research grants board shall 
  2.2   monitor research projects intended to make the yields of 
  2.3   Minnesota grown crops more dependable and Minnesota exports more 
  2.4   competitive in world markets.  Grants made by the board to a 
  2.5   research project may extend for a period of up to five years and 
  2.6   are renewable, but are not revocable except on a finding of 
  2.7   breech of contract or fraud.  Grants may be made for projects 
  2.8   that have commitments for matching funds from a commodity 
  2.9   research and promotion council or from other nongovernment 
  2.10  sources. 
  2.11     (b) The board shall not allow board funds levied on a 
  2.12  particular crop to be used for research on a different crop. 
  2.13     (c) The board shall retain licensing and commercialization 
  2.14  rights as part of any research agreements funded by the board. 
  2.15     Sec. 4.  [41E.04] [FEE PER CROPLAND ACRE.] 
  2.16     (a) The commissioner of agriculture shall establish an 
  2.17  account for the deposit of board levies collected by the 
  2.18  counties that is independent of all other department funds. 
  2.19     (b) For purposes of sections 41E.01 to 41E.04, "cropland" 
  2.20  means agricultural land used for producing agricultural crops 
  2.21  and classified as to soil type using a crop equivalency rating.  
  2.22  Cropland may be rated as tillable grade land classes A, B, C, or 
  2.23  Sub C. 
  2.24     Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 272.02, is 
  2.25  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.26     Subd. 10.  [CROPLAND; EXEMPTION FROM COUNTY AND SCHOOL 
  2.27  PURPOSES.] Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, all 
  2.28  cropland as defined in section 41E.04, paragraph (b), is exempt 
  2.29  from ad valorem property taxation for all school district and 
  2.30  county government purposes.  In lieu of the ad valorem taxes for 
  2.31  a school district and a county, the cropland is subject to the 
  2.32  per acre fee imposed in section 41E.04.  In determining tax 
  2.33  capacity and local tax rates for school districts and for the 
  2.34  county government under section 275.08, the county auditor shall 
  2.35  not include the market value of cropland exempted by this 
  2.36  subdivision. 
  3.1      Sec. 6.  [APPROPRIATION; SCHOOL DISTRICTS.] 
  3.2      The amount necessary to compensate each school district for 
  3.3   the reduced tax base resulting from the property tax exemption 
  3.4   of cropland under Minnesota Statutes, section 272.02, 
  3.5   subdivision 10, is annually appropriated from the general fund 
  3.6   to the commissioner of children, families, and learning for 
  3.7   distribution to each affected school district. 
  3.8      Sec. 7.  [APPROPRIATION; COUNTIES.] 
  3.9      The amount necessary to compensate each county for the 
  3.10  reduced tax base resulting from the property tax exemption of 
  3.11  cropland under Minnesota Statutes, section 272.02, subdivision 
  3.12  10, is annually appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.13  commissioner of revenue for distribution to each affected county.