1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to state government; requiring the 
  1.3             commissioner of administration to consult with 
  1.4             interested parties before updating specifications for 
  1.5             environmental factors in state purchasing; requiring a 
  1.6             report; amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 
  1.7             16B.121. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 16B.121, is 
  1.10  amended to read: 
  1.11     16B.121 [PURCHASE OF RECYCLED, REPAIRABLE, AND DURABLE 
  1.12  MATERIALS.] 
  1.13     The commissioner shall take the recycled content and 
  1.14  recyclability of commodities to be purchased into consideration 
  1.15  in bid specifications.  When feasible and when the price of 
  1.16  recycled materials does not exceed the price of nonrecycled 
  1.17  materials by more than ten percent, the commissioner, and state 
  1.18  agencies when purchasing under delegated authority, shall 
  1.19  purchase recycled materials.  In order to maximize the quantity 
  1.20  and quality of recycled materials purchased, the commissioner, 
  1.21  and state agencies when purchasing under delegated authority, 
  1.22  may also use other appropriate procedures to acquire recycled 
  1.23  materials at the most economical cost to the state.  
  1.24     The commissioner shall regularly consult with the office of 
  1.25  environmental assistance, state agencies, and other interested 
  1.26  parties to update the department's specifications for recycled 
  2.1   content and other environmentally preferable products, 
  2.2   consistent with other state procurement requirements.  In 
  2.3   updating its specifications, the department shall take into 
  2.4   account the United States Environmental Protection Agency's 
  2.5   Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines. 
  2.6      Each year the department shall issue a public report 
  2.7   listing environmentally preferable products and the products' 
  2.8   key environmental attributes, reporting benchmarks for recycled 
  2.9   content or other environmentally preferable products, and 
  2.10  discussing progress by state agencies in achieving the 
  2.11  benchmarks. 
  2.12     When purchasing commodities and services, the commissioner, 
  2.13  and state agencies when purchasing under delegated authority, 
  2.14  shall apply and promote the preferred waste management practices 
  2.15  listed in section 115A.02, with special emphasis on reduction of 
  2.16  the quantity and toxicity of materials in waste.  The 
  2.17  commissioner, and state agencies when purchasing under delegated 
  2.18  authority, in developing bid specifications, shall consider the 
  2.19  extent to which a commodity or product is durable, reusable, or 
  2.20  recyclable and marketable through the state resource recovery 
  2.21  program and the extent to which the commodity or product 
  2.22  contains postconsumer material.