Relating to transportation

ARTICLE 1 - TRANSPORTAION POLICY

Authorizing a state agency or a political subdivision to enter property for purposes of investigation, monitoring, testing, surveying or boring to perform geotechnical investigations, requiring notification, prohibiting unnecessary property damage; providing a limit on business reestablishment costs; defining expressway; modifying the definition of freeway; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to allow commercial motor vehicle operators subject to hours of service regulations under certain federal regulations to stop and park continuously for up to a certain period of time as necessary at safety rest areas and travel information centers; adding 24 hour pharmacies to the sign franchise program; modifying the voyageur highway description; designating I-94 as the Purple Heart trail; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to adopt a suitable marking design and to erect appropriate signs; designating a portion of trunk highway #210 from the city of Motley to the city of Staples as Dallas Sams memorial highway; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to adopt a suitable design to mark the highway and erect appropriate signs; designating a certain portion of trunk highway #53 in the city of Duluth as the Walter F. Mondale drive; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to adopt a suitable design to mark the highway and erect appropriate signs; designating the causeway over Pokegama Lake on trunk highway #169 as the Jim Oberstar causeway; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to adopt a suitable design to mark the highway and erect appropriate signs; eliminating the requirement for highway contracts bid advertisements to be published in newspapers, requiring bids to be submitted electronically and eliminating the requirement for bids to be opened and read in public under certain conditions; requiring the commissioner prior to entering into privatization contracts to compare the cost of state employee performance with the cost of privatization, specifying certain applicability provisions, contract review and legislature reporting requirements, "Taxpayers Transportation Accountability Act"; increasing the amount the commissioner of transportation spends for research and related activities performed by the center for transportation studies at the university of Minnesota; modifying certain notice requirements for expedited extinguishment of interest in an abandoned road by a town board; defining AASHTO manual for bridge and culverts inspection purposes; requiring annual bridge inspections; defining vehicle mounted concrete pumps as special mobile equipment for motor vehicle registration purposes; modifying motor vehicle weight schedules for vehicle registration tax purposes; requiring owners of certain vehicles to declare at the time of registration the amount of weight planned to be carried and subject to the federal heavy vehicle use tax; requiring owners declaring to carry less to display a distinctive sticker; providing for money remaining in the Work War II memorial donation matching account to be appropriated t the commissioner of veterans affairs for services and programs for veterans and their families; modifying certain content and form requirements for motor vehicle certificates of title; modifying provisions relating to application for salvage certificate of title; requiring dealers purchasing titled motor vehicles for the purpose of dismantling or destroying to notify the registrar; providing for a transaction fee; granting additional impounding authority; modifying the definition of motorized foot scooter; modifying the definition of explosives and flammable liquid under traffic regulations provisions; modifying the definition of recreational vehicle combination to include any type of towed middle vehicle for traffic regulation purposes; defining full sized pickup truck, recreational truck tractor, valid license and valid drivers license; expanding the authority to tow vehicles for a local government entity to authorized employees of the department of transportation and private towing companies; modifying provisions relating to yellow arrow signals; clarifying the speed limit on expressways; providing for owner or lessee of a vehicle stopped, standing or parked in violation to be guilty of a petty misdemeanor; providing for exceptions under certain conditions; providing for the use of television screens in vehicles to aid the visibility of the driver to the front of the vehicle; authorizing the use of communication headsets by emergency medical services personnel operating emergency vehicles; modifying certain provisions relating to commercial motor vehicle inspections;
modifying the definition of commercial vehicle; clarifying inspection requirements; permitting a person employed by a government agency owning commercial vehicles to inspect commercial vehicles; eliminating certain separate categories of inspector certificates; clarifying the issuance of inspection decals; clarifying proof of federal inspection application; requiring the submission of written daily inspection reports by commercial motor vehicle operators; modifying criteria for peace officers notification of the state patrol for accidents involving a commercial motor vehicle; increasing the allowable length limit for single vehicles; removing the maximum allowable length limit for middle vehicle of recreational vehicle combinations; modifying allowable vehicle weights on paved nine ton roads for motor vehicles; modifying certain provisions relating to maximum gross vehicle weight limits and axle weight limits, increasing the maximum weight limits for vehicles equipped with idle reduction technology; requiring vehicle operators to provide proof of idle reduction equipment on vehicles upon request of the commissioner of
transportation or the commissioner of public safety; modifying
the time period and broadening the types of crops eligible for the harvest season permitted percentage increase; increasing the allowable seasonal weight for vehicles transporting forest products; modifying certain provisions relating to tow trucks or towing vehicles; providing for annual permits for motor vehicles carrying bales of agricultural products; authorizing tow trucks to exceed certain length and weight limits; eliminating the restriction requiring round bales of hay, straw or cornstalks; extending the permissible route for three unit paper products vehicles; permitting a road authority to issue annual extended weight limit permits for certain six axle, seven axle, and single unit vehicles; prescribing certain requirements and restrictions on the vehicles, providing for deposits of revenue from issued permits; clarifying the requirement for persons to operate a motor vehicle with a valid license; defining valid license and valid drivers license; modifying drivers license and identification card address information requirements; modifying provisions relating to the authority of the commissioner of public safety to cancel drivers licenses; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to prepare a strategic plan for attaining the goal of reducing greenhouse gases from transportation; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to use the maximum feasible amount of available federal funding to develop, conduct and administer highway construction training; requiring the commissioner to include a contractor sanction for contracts with federal funding not meeting project disadvantaged business enterprise goals or a good faith effort; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to perform life cycle cost
analysis for paving materials on projects exceeding a certain amount; requiring special transportation service providers to display contact information in each vehicle for people filing complaints; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to investigate and resolve any complaints regarding special transportation services; requiring commissioner to report complaints to the legislature biannually by a certain date; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to submit annual reports on the status of major highway projects under construction using existing department staff and resources; authorizing the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to assess common carriers, administer the state rail safety inspection account and perform other duties on behalf of the state rail safety inspector; requiring the commissioner to establish the position of state rail safety inspector in the office of freight and commercial vehicle operations; requiring the state rail safety inspector to inspect mainline and secondary track and industry track, railroad right of way, including adjacent or intersecting drainage, culverts, bridges, overhead structures, traffic, crossings, yards, physical plants, to review and enforce safety requirements and railroad security measures and issue citations for violations; requiring the commissioner to annually assess certain railroad companies start-up or reestablishment costs and related costs of initiating the state rail safety inspector program, exemption; modifying vehicle identification rules for certain motor carriers; requiring safety permits for certain carriers transporting hazardous materials; modifying local licensing of small vehicle passenger service provisions; modifying financial liability requirements of motor carriers for charitable organizations; granting transportation representatives access to certain safety permits relating to hazardous material; modifying expenditures under the rail service improvement program and regulating state rail bank property use requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to enter into the unified carrier registration agreement; increasing maximum monetary and civil penalties imposed by the commissioner of
public safety for pipeline violations; specifying certain title branding requirements for lemon law vehicles by the registrar of motor vehicles; modifying certain periodic evaluation requirements of the metropolitan area transportation system performance; modifying and clarifying certain special transportation service provisions relating to metropolitan council objectives, reporting requirements, transportation accessibility advisory committee membership requirements, eligibility application and verification requirements and imposing a penalty for fraudulent certification, and modifying certain duties of the council; modifying metropolitan area light rail transit (LRT) planning, designing and construction; requiring the metropolitan council to identify in the transportation policy plan heavily traveled corridors to be benefited by transitways; requiring the council to designate locally preferred alternative transit modes after locally directed studies; requiring the governor to designate the metropolitan council or the state acting through the department of transportation (DOT) as the responsible authority for each metropolitan area proposed light rail transit facility; requiring the DOT to transfer all constructed facilities, equipment and property to the metropolitan council upon LRT facility completion; authorizing the metropolitan council to plan, design, acquire, construct and equip LRT facilities in the metropolitan area; authorizing the metropolitan council to offer passes, including tokens, for regular route bus service for sale to certain charitable organizations at a special discount and youth discount passes; clarifying metropolitan transit police jurisdiction; delaying the effective date authorizing a permit for a special paper products vehicle; clarifying county regional railroad authorities capital costs for transit funding; specifying legislative intent concerning tuck weight increases; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to reopen the Culkin highway safety rest area on I-35; prohibiting the commissioner of public safety from complying with the Real ID act, specifying certain conditions; requiring the commissioner of public safety to report to the legislature by a certain date on a credit card payment study; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to conduct a study and evaluate the current and long range needs of the transportation system and report to the legislature by a certain date; requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to report to the legislature by a certain date on speed limits on local roads, specifying minimum report requirements; requiring the commissioner of public safety to report on internet based driver education for instruction permit purposes by a certain date; providing for nullification of expedited town road extinguishments under certain conditions; authorizing the commissioner of transportation to enter into agreements with the city of Willmar for the new airport; requiring the Eveleth Virginia municipal airport board of adjustment to grant a variance to a property owner; repealing certain provisions relating to registration of
interstate carriers, certificate of title pollution control equipment disclosure and motor vehicle air pollution control systems disclosure requirements, provision relating to transportation policy and the requirement prohibiting the seeking of financial assistance for construction of LRT facilities until construction has begun on the central corridor or Riverview corridors

ARTICLE 2 - REGISTRATION PLATES

Modifying or clarifying certain special license plate provisions; clarifying commissioner of public safety duties
(Ch. 239, 2008 - VETO)