Relating to the organization, operation and financing of state government,
appropriating money for transportation purposes

ARTICLE 1 - APPROPRIATIONS: TRANSPORTATION, METROPOLITAN COUNCIL, PUBLIC SAFETY

Providing a summary of appropriations by fund; appropriating money to the commissioner of transportation (DOT) for aeronautics, for airport development and assistance, for aviation support and services, for transit and freight, for state and local roads and for general support and services, to the metropolitan council for bus transit and for Hiawatha light rail transit line operations and to the commissioner of public safety for public safety officer survivor benefits, for soft body armor and certain fund reimbursements, for the state patrol, for driver and vehicle services and for traffic and pipeline safety; providing for the payment of tort claims and for certain general contingent accounts; authorizing or requiring certain fund transfers and providing for the continued availability of certain appropriations; providing for certain transportation research projects

ARTICLE 2 - PUBLIC SAFETY ACTIVITIES, FEES, ACCOUNTS

Modifying certain motor vehicle registration tax and fee provisions and certain fee or tax deposit requirements of the commissioner of public safety; increasing fees for motor vehicle transfers and for certain driver and vehicle services; modifying or clarifying certain special license plate and motor vehicle dealer license provisions; authorizing and providing for the issuance of personalized special veterans motor vehicle license plates and of special license plates to veterans of the global war on terrorism and to recipients of the Iraq or Afghanistan campaign medals and imposing a temporary surcharge on issuance of the plates for deposit in the vehicle services operating account in the special
revenue fund; exempting special veterans motorcycle license plates from certain design requirements and eliminating the limit on the number of vehicle license plate sets allowed to be issued to veterans; authorizing the issuance of special motorcycle license plates for firefighters and the display of special veterans license plates on certain larger noncommercial trucks; modifying certain requirements regulating motor vehicle ownership transfers and registration tax refunds; providing for expedited driver and vehicle services and for record copies, fees; modifying certain procedures for the appointment of deputy registrars; increasing drivers license and identification (ID) card fees and imposing certain repeat examination fees, temporarily requiring the deposit of certain portions of money collected in the trunk highway fund; creating the driver and vehicle services operating accounts in the special revenue fund for the deposit of certain fees; temporarily modifying the distribution of drivers license fee revenues to the trunk highway fund; creating the driver and vehicle services operating accounts in the special revenue fund for the deposit of certain vehicle services fees for vehicle services administration purposes; making certain technical and clarifying amendments; specifying certain reference change or correction and renumbering instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing the bicycle registration program

ARTICLE 3 - TRANSPORTATION POLICY

Classifying certain real property appraisal data in eminent domain proceedings; authorizing the commissioner of administration to approve the performance of mail related functions by outside agencies under the central mail handling unit under certain conditions; authorizing the commissioner of transportation to bill highway operations units of the DOT and local road authorities for the costs of a centrally managed highway sign program; designating a certain portion of trunk highway #371 as the purple heart memorial highway and modifying the description of the Paul Bunyan expressway accordingly; designating the bridge over the St. Louis River on trunk highway #23 in St. Louis county as the Biauswah bridge in honor of native American veterans; modifying the interest rate on advances by road authorities to the commissioner to expedite trunk highway construction projects, requiring a rate agreed upon by the parties; eliminating the requirement for DOT agreements with Indian tribal authorities to provide maintenance, design and construction to highways on tribal lands to be cost sharing agreements; authorizing the use of the expedited process in commissioner adoption of rules governing the county state aid highway or municipal state aid street systems; reducing the time limit for commissioner receipt of objections to local government unit requests for variances from state aid highway or street rules or engineering standards for contested case hearings requirement purposes; increasing the amount from the county state aid highway fund required to be set aside for department administrative costs; authorizing county use of county state aid highway fund apportionments to aid towns in the replacement of town road signs; eliminating the limit on city advances for expedited street construction; authorizing the construction of county state aid highway or city state aid street routes across other counties, cities or states upon commissioner determination of necessity and county or city approval; defining or redefining certain terms for motor vehicle registration purposes; expanding the registration tax exemption for vehicles owned by nonprofit charities used exclusively to transport disabled persons for education purposes to vehicles used to transport disabled persons for charitable or religious purposes and removing the exemption for motorized foot scooters; modifying and clarifying the registration tax exemption for persons engaged in active military service; waiving the fee for nonresident temporary new motor vehicle permits for information electronically transmitted to the commissioner of public safety by dealers or deputy motor vehicle registrars and modifying the permit posting requirement; expanding eligibility for collector vehicle license plates; providing for the issuance of special license plates for eligible members of the disabled American veterans; restricting motor vehicle registrar assignment of USDOT carrier numbers; providing for commissioner removal of certain old liens on passenger automobiles from department records; modifying and clarifying the definition of commercial motor vehicle for traffic regulations purposes and expanding the definition of recreational vehicle combination to certain motor vehicle carriers hauling equestrian equipment; clarifying certain traffic control signal requirements, requiring yielding of the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing roadways on a green light; creating certain exceptions to the requirement for vehicular traffic facing a steady red arrow signal to stop; requiring drivers license revocation for violating speed limits in excess of a certain number of miles per hour, imposing a surcharge on certain speed limit violations; clarifying the prohibition on driving vehicles
on roadway shoulders to pass on the right; authorizing implements of husbandry to be operated or towed to the left half of the roadway under certain conditions; expanding the definition of authorized emergency vehicle under the provision regulating the passing of emergency vehicles displaying emergency lighting to towing vehicles activating flashing lights; expanding the authority of the commissioner to designate exempt railroad crossings; authorizing vehicles used to transport adults to and from day activity centers to be equipped with prewarning flashing amber signals and stop signal arms, specifying conditions for operator activation of the equipment; authorizing the display of certain slow moving vehicle signs visible at night; modifying certain highway weight and length restrictions; clarifying the exception from certain weight record requirements for motor carriers hauling raw or unfinished forest products; authorizing the commissioner of transportation to issue special oversize load permits for the transport of manufactured storage buildings and specifying the fee for permits to exceed certain weight limits based on the number of axles; modifying certain uniform traffic ticket content requirements; modifying the period of drivers license revocation for commercial motor vehicle operators driving while impaired and the definition of commercial motor vehicle relating to the transportation of hazardous materials for traffic regulations and drivers license purposes; removing Canadian provinces from the definition of state and defining tank vehicle for drivers license purposes; modifying the validity of class D drivers licenses for the operation of farm trucks and for the towing of vehicles and eliminating certain hazardous materials endorsement exceptions; expanding the drivers license exemption for persons employed by the federal government to operate motor vehicles owned by or leased to the federal government and clarifying the exemption for military personnel; extending the validity of instruction permits; prohibiting the use of cellular or wireless telephones (cellphones) by permit or provisional license holders while operating a vehicle; modifying the percentage of excess two wheeled vehicle endorsement duplicate drivers license additional fees to be credited to the general fund; requiring the commissioner of public safety to indicate on commercial drivers licenses restrictions on the operation of commercial motor vehicles equipped with air brakes for persons not successfully completing the air brake component of the skills test; extending certain drivers records retention requirements relating to violations of driver or vehicle out of service orders or to certain alcohol related offenses; modifying the requirement relating to the recording of certain speed limit violations; requiring examination before drivers license renewal of certain habitual violators; specifying certain commissioner commercial drivers license records check requirements; requiring commercial motor vehicle operating disqualification under federal standards, expanding the exemptions to authorized emergency vehicle operators operating commercial motor vehicles and excluding certain violation convictions relating to the operation of vehicles other than commercial vehicles from disqualification period determination; requiring the department of public safety to participate fully in the commercial drivers license information system; requiring a certain minimum period of drivers license revocation for persons exceeding the speed limit in excess of a certain number of miles per hour, authorizing a longer minimum revocation period under certain DWI or fleeing a peace officer conditions; authorizing the commissioner to suspend drivers licenses of persons paying drivers license fees with bad checks; clarifying the authority of the commissioner to deny limited drivers licenses; authorizing commissioner of transportation grants from the state transportation fund to certain smaller cities for design and preliminary engineering of bridges on city streets, specifying a total grants limit; making permanent the commuter rail corridor coordinating committee; expanding the definition of essential employee under the public employment labor relations act (PELRA) to public safety radio communications operators and providing for assignment of the operators to the appropriate state bargaining unit; providing for drivers license renewal and motor vehicle registration for persons in active military service; creating a Minnesota grade crossing safety account in the special revenue fund for rail highway grade crossing safety projects on public streets and highways, requiring the crediting of a certain amount of receipts for fines and forfeited bail money relating to traffic and motor vehicle law violations to the account; modifying certain requirements for the establishment of railroad quiet zones and for engineers driving locomotives to ring the bell or sound the whistle; requiring and providing for the commissioner of transportation to develop and implement a town road sign replacement program; authorizing the Dakota county regional railroad authority to construct and operate a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in the Cedar avenue transit corridor; requiring the commissioner of public safety to suspend the program to verify insurance coverage through sampling, providing for reinstatement of suspended licenses, dismissal of charges, removal of previous violations and vacation of convictions, requiring remediation by insurers and a report by the commissioner to the legislature on the operation of the program, requiring the commissioner to use certain unspent funds for program suspension administration; requiring the city of Duluth upon agreement of the Fond du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the city to name and dedicate the cemetery in Duluth on land leased to the band by the city as the Roussain cemetery; providing a wetland replacement requirement exemption for trail construction in or near the city of Cologne; establishing a speed limit for trains operated within the city of Orr in St. Louis county to eliminate or reduce local safety hazards; reducing the ethanol mandate upon DOT determination of a loss of federal transportation funds; requiring the commissioner of public safety to appoint an additional deputy registrar of motor vehicles and drivers license agent for Hennepin county and to appoint the Carver county auditor as a deputy motor vehicle registrar and drivers license agent in the city of Chanhassen; authorizing the operator of the highway safety rest area in the city of Floodwood to sell nonalcoholic beverages and snack foods; specifying certain rule change instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing the definition of sworn statement for motor vehicle registration purposes and the requirement for notice to the registrar of engine or motor transfers, certain commercial motor vehicle drivers license disqualification requirements, the definition of off peak hours for metropolitan transit fare policy purposes, motor bicycle rental business license requirements and certain rules regulating motor carriers

ARTICLE 4 - EFFECTIVE DATES

Specifying the effective dates of the provisions, appropriations to be effective retroactively and to supersede and replace funding authorized by order of the Ramsey county district court in a certain case and certain legislation providing temporary funding through a certain date
(Ch. 6, 2005 First Special Session)