Relating to the organization, operation and financing of state government; appropriating money for environment, natural resources and energy

ARTICLE 1- ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Providing a summary of appropriations by fund; appropriating money to pollution control agency (PCA), requiring the budget of the agency to be displayed on the Web site, for water program activities, air program activities, land program activities, the environmental assistance and cross-media activities and administrative support, to commissioner of natural resources (DNR), requiring the budget of the agency to be displayed on the Web site, for lands and mineral resources management, for waters division, for forest management, for parks and trails management, for fish and wildlife management, ecological services, enforcement and operations support, to board of water and soil resources (BWSR) for natural resources block grants to local governments, to metropolitan council for metropolitan area regional parks maintenance and operations, and for metropolitan area regional parks and trails maintenance and operations, to the Minnesota conservation corps, to zoological board and to Science Museum of Minnesota; requiring nonresident all-terrain vehicle operators to possess a state trail pass; authorizing commissioner of natural resources (DNR) to sell gift cards and certificates to be used to purchase licenses, permits, products or services sold by commissioner, permitting the commissioner to advertise this program, providing for the disposition of proceeds; requiring money received from certain utility permits be deposited in the permanent school fund; establishing supplemental application and monitoring fees for utility easements; imposing certain land management easement application and monitoring fees; imposing fees for certain road easement construction monitoring activities; imposing an application fee for release of an unneeded state easement; exempting ATVs with a nonresident all-terrain vehicle pass from registration requirements under certain conditions; requiring nonresident all-terrain vehicle operators to possess a state trail pass, requiring a fee, providing for appointment of license agents by commissioner of natural resources, providing for issuance of passes, agent fees and the issuance of duplicate passes, imposing an application fee for state trail easements for ingress and egress; eliminating the requirement that a veteran with a permanent service-connected disability be a resident to qualify for a complementary state park pass; establishing a commercial annual horse trail pass; prohibiting the sale of outdoor recreation system lands for the purpose of anticipated savings to the state general fund; imposing application fees for a permit to mine for taconite, nonferrous metallic minerals, scram mining or peat operation and requiring submittal of a permit amendment application fee with the written application, specifying certain regulations for the mining administration account; imposing certain mining reclamation fees, annual permit to mine fees, supplemental application fee for taconite and nonferrous metallic minerals mining operation and reclamation fee on taconite iron ore produced; providing for the exchanges of riparian lands administered by commissioner of natural resources (DNR) for other lands administered by commissioner without certain restrictions; increasing certain water use permit processing fees; modifying regulation of storm water discharges; modifying pollution control agency (PCA) fees; establishing a program to make competitive grants to local governmental units and nonprofit organizations to increase composting and reduce the amount of organic wastes entering disposal facilities; prohibiting the placement of yard waste or source-separated compostable materials generated in a metropolitan county in a plastic bag delivered to a transfer station or yard waste compost facility unless the bag meets certain specifications after a certain date; providing a three-part formula for county feedlot program grants and regulating minimum and prorated grants and transfers; protecting the health of children from toxic chemicals in products; defining certain terms, authorizing department of health to designate priority chemicals of high concern, requiring department of health to publish a list of chemicals of high concern and a list of priority chemicals in state register and on department Web site and specifying certain updating requirements, authorizing the department to consider chemicals listed by another state as harmful to human health or the environment for inclusion in the listing, allowing designation of a chemical of high concern as a priority chemical upon certain findings, providing for applicability, authorizing donations acceptance and participation in interstate chemicals clearinghouse; providing for greenhouse gas emissions registry; requiring commissioner of the pollution control agency (PCA) to establish a reporting system and maintain an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions; requiring commissioner to design the system to coordinate with other regional or federal greenhouse gas emissions reporting systems; defining high-GWP greenhouse gas and modifying purchases; establishing standards for labeling plastic bags, imposing penalties; authorizing Hennepin county board of commissioners to utilize certain money placed in the county solid and hazardous waste fund for certain program expenses of department of environmental services; extending the time period for the sale of certain state land; extending the availability of an appropriation from 2007 for the DNR's land records management system; removing a requirement that funds for a shooting sports facility be used for a facility at the Vermillion Highlands WMA, and requires the funds to be used for a facility in the seven county metropolitan area; establishing a working group to re-examine the SCORE reporting requirements and to recommend changes that reduce the cost of reporting, including, possibly, the use of multicounty reporting and ensure consistent estimation methods are used; requiring priority chemical reports to the legislature; prohibiting the reorganization of the environmental quality board (EQB); requiring commissioner of PCA to submit a report to the legislature on options to streamline the environmental review process by January 15, 2010; prohibiting the DNR, PCA and BWSR from using funds appropriated in this article or statutory or open appropriations to directly or indirectly pay for the compensation of staff in the governor's office; requiring commissioner of natural resources to work in cooperation with commissioner of health to ensure that fish consumption advisories are displayed in at least four different languages; requiring the forest resources council to review the climate change advisory group's recommendation to increase carbon sequestration in forests by planting one million trees and submit a report to legislature by January 15, 2010; repealing a certain provision relating to mining administrative fees

ARTICLE 2 - ENERGY

Providing a summary of appropriations by fund; appropriating money to department of commerce for financial institutions, petroleum tank release cleanup board, administrative services, telecommunication purposes, for the office of energy security, for telecommunications access Minnesota to supplement the ongoing operational expenses of the commission serving deaf and hard-of-hearing people and to public utilities commission (PUC); modifying certain provisions relating to assessments and audits of insurance and insurers, public utilities, cooperative electric associations and municipal powers agencies

ARTICLE 3 - DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE; OTHER REGULATORY PROVISIONS

Modifying regulations for consumer small loans lenders and residential mortgage originators and servicers and clarifying certain provisions; revising annual audit requirements for insurers; providing for the calculation of reserves and nonforfeiture values of preneed funeral insurance contracts; regulating life and health guaranty association notices; regulating township mutuals fire insurance company powers; imposing penalties; specifying certain insurer compliance requirements; prohibiting the elimination or limiting of the personal liability of a director under certain conditions; regulating township mutuals fire insurance company surplus requirements; increasing maximum dollar amounts on protection for policyholders of insolvent life and health insurance companies to provide greater comparability with limits of federal deposit insurance of bank accounts under the Minnesota life and health insurance guaranty association act;
requiring insurers to update dollar values to reflect inflation adjustment
repealing certain provisions relating to annual audits and township mutual insured property, assessments, joint or partial risks and assessment

ARTICLE 4 - DEBT MANAGEMENT AND DEBT SETTLEMENT SERVICE

Regulating debt management services; defining certain terms and modifying
terms relating to debt management services, providers, creditors and debtors; clarifying registrant default; expanding conditions for commissioner of commerce denial of applicant registration and written debt management services agreement requirements, conditions and prohibitions, making conforming amendments; regulating debt settlement services; defining terms relating to debt settlement services; requiring debt settlement service providers to be registered after a certain date; providing for registration form, term, scope, fees, surety bond and right of action, registrant list, renewal, denial, suspension, revocation and nonrenewal; requiring written debt settlement services agreements with disclosures and a payment trust account; specifying required actions prior to agreement, creditor participation determination, required information, prohibited terms, new debt settlement services agreements and funds held in trust requirements; providing debtor right to cancel and specifying notice and
automatic termination; requiring registrant records, books, accounts and
information; specifying annual report and debtor statements; specifying provider fees; specifying provider prohibitions; regulating advertisement of services; providing a right to debtor rescission, enforcement, remedies and commissioner investigations
(Ch. 37, 2009 - line item veto)