Relating to transportation

ARTICLE 1 - STATE TRANSPORTATION FINANCE

Modifying the county state aid highway fund apportionment formula, providing for the calculation and apportionment of the excess sum and the apportionment sum; expanding the county wheelage tax statewide, increasing the limit and requiring crediting to the road and bridge fund of the county levying the tax; modifying the imposition of the motor vehicle registration tax on passenger automobiles in subsequent years; increasing the gasoline and special fuels tax rates and providing for annual inflation adjustments by the commissioner of revenue; modifying the distribution of motor vehicle sales tax proceeds to the highway user tax distribution fund; establishing a right-of-way advance acquisition loan account in the transportation revolving loan fund for loans to the state, counties, cities and towns to purchase property within the rights-of-way of state trunk highways, restrictions, specifying certain factors to be considered by the commissioner of transportation (DOT) in evaluating projects to be certified for the loans and prescribing the purchase procedure; appropriating money to the commissioner and authorizing the issuance of state transportation bonds to construct trunk highways and state roads

ARTICLE 2 - LOCAL TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX

Authorizing the metropolitan transportation area joint powers board to impose a transportation sales and use tax and a sales tax on motor vehicles within the metropolitan transportation area, voter approval requirement; creating a metropolitan transportation area fund for deposit of the proceeds and appropriating money in the fund to the commissioner of finance for allocation; requiring metropolitan counties to enter into a joint powers agreement to create a joint powers board, specifying certain membership representation requirements and powers and duties; providing for allocation of the tax revenues to the commissioner of transportation (DOT) for metropolitan transportation area highway projects and for implementation of the greater Minnesota transit plan in counties in the area directly served by greater Minnesota transit and to the metropolitan council for implementation of the public transit components of the transportation policy plan and for other public transit operations and capital improvements in the area; authorizing and providing for imposition of the taxes outside the metropolitan transportation area, requiring dedication of the proceeds to specific transportation projects, requiring termination of the taxes after project completion; providing for administration, collection and enforcement of the taxes; specifying certain commissioner and metropolitan council reporting requirements
(ja)