1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to transit; requiring Metropolitan Council to 
  1.3             spend a percentage of its fiscal year 2005 
  1.4             expenditures for Metro Mobility on a taxi fare subsidy 
  1.5             program for certified Metro Mobility users; amending 
  1.6             Laws 2003, First Special Session chapter 19, article 
  1.7             1, section 3. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Laws 2003, First Special Session chapter 19, 
  1.10  article 1, section 3, is amended to read: 
  1.11  Sec. 3.  METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
  1.12  TRANSIT                               56,810,000     57,910,000 
  1.13  (a) The agency's budget base for fiscal 
  1.14  year 2006 is $57,503,000 and for fiscal 
  1.15  year 2007 is $58,753,000. 
  1.16  (b) Bus Transit
  1.17      54,010,000     54,010,000 
  1.18  This appropriation is for bus system 
  1.19  operations. 
  1.20  (c) Rail Operations
  1.21       2,800,000      3,900,000 
  1.22  This appropriation is for operations of 
  1.23  the Hiawatha LRT line.  The base for 
  1.24  rail operations for fiscal year 2006 is 
  1.25  $4,050,000 and for fiscal year 2007 is 
  1.26  $5,300,000. 
  1.27  This appropriation is for paying 50 
  1.28  percent of operating costs for the 
  1.29  Hiawatha light rail transit line after 
  1.30  operating revenue and federal funds are 
  1.31  used for light rail transit operations. 
  1.32  The remaining operating costs up to a 
  1.33  maximum of $2,800,000 the first year 
  1.34  and $3,900,000 the second year are to 
  2.1   be paid by the Hennepin county regional 
  2.2   rail authority, using any or all of 
  2.3   these sources: 
  2.4   (1) general tax revenues of Hennepin 
  2.5   county; 
  2.6   (2) the authority's reserves; and 
  2.7   (3) taxes levied under Minnesota 
  2.8   Statutes, section 398A.04, subdivision 
  2.9   8, notwithstanding any provision in 
  2.10  that subdivision that limits amounts 
  2.11  that may be levied for light rail 
  2.12  transit purposes. 
  2.13  By September 1, 2003, the metropolitan 
  2.14  council shall submit to Hennepin county 
  2.15  regional rail authority a proposed 
  2.16  detailed operations management plan for 
  2.17  Hiawatha light rail transit, covering 
  2.18  operations through June 30, 2005.  The 
  2.19  plan may include, without limitation, 
  2.20  operating plans concerning formation 
  2.21  and negotiation of contracts for 
  2.22  management or other services, service 
  2.23  schedules, fare policy, vehicle and 
  2.24  facility maintenance, and staffing.  
  2.25  The council may not implement or modify 
  2.26  the plan without the approval of 
  2.27  Hennepin county.  Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.28  section 473.392, does not apply to the 
  2.29  procurement by the council of operating 
  2.30  services for the Hiawatha light rail 
  2.31  transit line. 
  2.32  (d) Budget Base Reduction Report
  2.33  By December 15, 2003, and December 15, 
  2.34  2004, the chair of the metropolitan 
  2.35  council shall report to the chairs of 
  2.36  the senate and house of representatives 
  2.37  committees with jurisdiction over 
  2.38  transportation policy and finance 
  2.39  regarding the distribution and impacts 
  2.40  of the base budget reductions.  The 
  2.41  report must include a description and 
  2.42  enumeration of program activities with 
  2.43  reduced spending levels and the impacts 
  2.44  on transit service levels and 
  2.45  performance of the regular route and 
  2.46  metro mobility systems.  The report 
  2.47  must identify the total number of 
  2.48  positions that were reduced or 
  2.49  eliminated through attrition or 
  2.50  layoffs, the number of positions 
  2.51  reduced or eliminated in each of the 
  2.52  bargaining units represented within the 
  2.53  council, and the impact on the number 
  2.54  of women and minorities employed by the 
  2.55  council.  
  2.56  (e) Metro Mobility Taxi Alternative
  2.57  The council shall spend ten percent of 
  2.58  the money expended for Metro Mobility 
  2.59  in fiscal year 2005 to operate a 
  2.60  subsidy program for certified Metro 
  2.61  Mobility users to use taxis as an 
  2.62  alternative to Metro Mobility 
  2.63  vehicles.  The program must involve 
  3.1   payments made to taxi providers to 
  3.2   compensate them for reduced fares 
  3.3   charged to certified users.  A subsidy 
  3.4   under this program may pay up to 75 
  3.5   percent of the amount of the fare that 
  3.6   exceeds the taxi provider's regular 
  3.7   minimum fare.  The council may contract 
  3.8   with taxi providers or with municipal 
  3.9   taxi licensing authorities to provide 
  3.10  the service.  The council must report 
  3.11  to the chairs of the senate and house 
  3.12  of representatives committees with 
  3.13  jurisdiction over transportation policy 
  3.14  and finance by February 1, 2005, on its 
  3.15  compliance with this paragraph. 
  3.16     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2004.