E Relating to employment and economic development ARTICLE 1 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE Replacing the employer unemployment insurance fund solvency assessment with a special assessment to pay interest on federal loans for the unemployment insurance program trust fund, authorizing the commissioner of economic security in consultation with the commissioner of finance to determine the need for and the level of the assessment and providing for payment of the interest by the commissioner of economic security; authorizing the exchange of taxpayer identity information relating to employers and employees between the departments of labor and industry and revenue for minimum wage and employment purposes; exempting certain contracted school food service workers from certain wage credits accrual restrictions; setting the unemployment insurance base tax rate for employers for calendar year 2003; providing extra benefits for certain permanently laid off airline, Fingerhut and Farmland foods company employees, specifying eligibility conditions and setting the weekly and maximum benefit amounts; providing for payment of special state temporary extended unemployment benefits to certain applicants not qualifying for benefits under the federal temporary extended unemployment compensation act of 2002; requiring the unemployment insurance advisory council to report to the legislature by a certain date with proposals for the long term solvency of the Minnesota unemployment insurance program trust fund; appropriating a certain amount of money transferred to the state under the federal Reed act from the fund to the commissioner for unemployment insurance program administration purposes; transferring a certain amount of money from the unemployment insurance technology initiative account and requiring the commissioner of finance to periodically transfer certain amounts from the general fund to the workforce development fund ARTICLE 2 TRADE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Eliminating the export finance authority and the requirement for the commissioner of trade and economic development to prepare an annual report to the legislature describing the number of companies leaving the state and use of the world trade center for conferences and promotional events; authorizing waivers below the minimum and above the maximum of certain dislocated worker program funding requirements under certain training assistance additional funding conditions; modifying certain provisions under the urban initiative program; modifying the definition of low income area; authorizing urban initiative board loan guarantee agreements with nonprofit corporations under the urban challenge grants program and eliminating the match requirement for loans or loan guarantees from the revolving loan fund; increasing the maximum amount of microenterprise loans; expanding authorized administrative expenses for business loans; authorizing board no interest loans to nonprofit corporations to support new or expanding businesses, specifying a match requirement and limit and requiring the crediting of repayments to the revolving fund created for urban initiative grants; expanding the project area development authority of the iron range resources and rehabilitation board (IRRRB) to the Ironworld discovery center area, authorizing the expenditure of funds from the taconite economic development fund to promote tourism, trade and economic development; transferring the requirement for annual preparation and submission to the federal environmental protection agency (EPA) of an intended use plan for the water pollution control revolving fund from the pollution control agency to the public facilities authority, requiring the PCA to provide the authority with a prioritized list of wastewater and storm water projects for funding consideration; specifying certain eligibility requirements for placement on the intended use plan and requiring the authority to offer local government units seeking placement on the plan an opportunity to review and comment on the plan before adoption, authorizing amendment of the plan for additional projects upon determination of the availability of funds; increasing the bonding authority of the public facilities authority; extending the availability of a certain prior appropriation to DTED for the operation of travel information centers; reinstating the early warning system to identify plant closings in advance; repealing the authority of the city of Chisago City to reimburse the town of Wyoming for certain orderly annexed property ARTICLE 3 BACKGROUND CHECKSProhibiting employers or prospective employers from requiring employees or prospective employees to pay for expenses incurred in criminal, background or credit checks, testing, orientation or training, training or testing exceptionARTICLE 4 REDEVELOPMENT GRANTSModifying the geographic distribution of redevelopment grants; authorizing the allocation of funds in the redevelopment accounts for purchase of a brownfield site in the metropolitan area to be used for a facility to house the department of military affairs training and community centerARTICLE 5 SCHOOL CONFERENCE AND ACTIVITY LEAVEExpanding eligibility for employment school conference and activities leave to foster parentsARTICLE 6 YOUTH EMPLOYMENTPlacing certain conditions on youth employment involvement in certain early childhood learning and child protection facilities construction projects paid for with grant funds ARTICLE 7 COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR UTILITIES Requiring the commissioner of commerce to identify and evaluate criteria for use by public utilities in evaluating and selecting bids submitted in a competitive bidding process for energy projects, requiring the commissioner to convene a series of forums for input from citizens and stakeholders and to present a report to the legislature by a certain date (ja)