1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to natural resources; renaming the Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers 
1.3 	Board; clarifying the duties and membership of board;amending Minnesota 
1.4 	Statutes 2008, section 103F.378.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 103F.378, is amended to read:
1.7 	103F.378 MINNESOTA RIVER BASIN JOINT POWERS BOARD.
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Duties. The Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers Board, established 
1.9 	under section 471.59 for the purpose of coordinating efforts to improve water quality in the 
1.10 	Minnesota River and achieving the goal of making the Minnesota River suitable for fishing 
1.11 	and swimming by the year 2005 Basin by providing leadership, building partnerships, 
1.12 	and supporting watershed programs in collaboration with the Water Resources Center at 
1.13 	Minnesota State University, Mankato, has the following duties:
1.14 	(1) coordination of compiling and submitting to the governor, the legislature, the 
1.15 	Board of Water and Soil Resources, and all watershed partners:
1.16 	(i) comprehensive water quality improvement and watershed management cleanup 
1.17 	goals for the Minnesota River Basin, prepared by coordinating reviewing and summarizing
1.18 	the work plans of the 12 major watersheds and the member, basin counties of the joint 
1.19 	powers board, state agencies, and the University of Minnesota in cleanup effortsand 
1.20 	submission of periodic river cleanup plans for submission to the governor and the 
1.21 	legislature other partners active in water quality programming;
1.22 	(ii) a biennial report highlighting the results and progress of projects in the 12 major 
1.23 	watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin; and
1.24 	(iii) periodic basinwide water quality improvement plans;
2.1 	(2) advising on the development and use of monitoring and evaluation systems 
2.2 	in the Minnesota River and the incorporation of the data obtained from these systems 
2.3 	into the planning process water quality and watershed management projects, including 
2.4 	implementation and coordination of TMDLs under the Clean Water Legacy Act as 
2.5 	provided in chapter 114D, and promotion of data incorporation into the planning processes 
2.6 	associated with county water plans, watershed plans, and, as appropriate, planning and 
2.7 	zoning decisions in the Minnesota River Basin;
2.8 	(3) conducting public meetings of the board on at least a quarterly basis at locations 
2.9 	within the Minnesota River Basin;
2.10 	(4) conducting an ongoing information and education program concerning the status 
2.11 	of the Minnesota River, including an annual conference on the state of the Minnesota 
2.12 	River Basin and sponsoring and coordinating continuing education opportunities in 
2.13 	cooperation with watershed partners in the basin;
2.14 	(5) providing periodic reports and budget requests to the governor's office and the 
2.15 	chairs of the agriculture and environment and natural resources committees of the senate 
2.16 	and the house of representatives, appropriate committees of the legislature, and the 
2.17 	Board of Water and Soil Resources regarding progress on meeting river water quality 
2.18 	management goals and future funding required for this effort and requesting biennial 
2.19 	legislative funding to provide the services;
2.20 	(6) advising on the development of projects within the 12 major watersheds that are 
2.21 	scientifically sound, have landowner support, and reduce inputs of pollutants into the 
2.22 	Minnesota River basin coordinating and promoting, in partnership with and on behalf of 
2.23 	water quality and watershed management stakeholders, policy development and project 
2.24 	implementation that impact multiple major watersheds and target reduction of pollutant 
2.25 	inputs into the Minnesota River; and
2.26 	(7) administering the distribution of project implementation funds for the 12 major 
2.27 	watersheds by approving projects, identifying matching components for each project, 
2.28 	and tracking the results achieved for each project. facilitating the identification of and 
2.29 	application for water quality improvement implementation and research funding for 
2.30 	projects that impact multiple major watersheds and benefit local watershed efforts and 
2.31 	providing assistance to local project managers, partners, state agencies, the legislature, 
2.32 	or the governor's office; 
2.33 	(8) advocating to promote and advance basin issues identified by county and 
2.34 	watershed partners at the legislature, among the state agencies, and with the governor; 
2.35 	(9) promoting cooperation among the numerous water quality and watershed 
2.36 	management units in the basin;
3.1 	(10) providing conflict resolution and meeting facilitation services as requested; and 
3.2 	(11)  striving to advance basinwide water quality improvements while promoting 
3.3 	both local projects and managing regional initiatives.
3.4 		Subd. 2.Membership; advisory board. (a) Upon acceptance of the joint powers 
3.5 	agreement and payment of annual dues, each member county that agrees to join the board
3.6 	shall haveappoint  one county commissioner as its delegate to the board and one county 
3.7 	commissioner as an alternate. A technical and citizen Delegates and alternates shall serve 
3.8 	at the pleasure of the county board that appointed them. The delegates shall elect a chair 
3.9 	and other officers as determined by the board.
3.10 	(b) An advisory committee, appointed by the chair of the Minnesota River Board,
3.11 	shall be established to advise the board consisting of a technical representative from 
3.12 	each of the counties in the basin and citizens who are not county employees but who 
3.13 	have an interest in agriculture, conservation, sporting activities, and other relevant areas 
3.14 	as determined by the board provide input on policy development, technical advances, 
3.15 	continuing education programs, and other areas of concern identified by the delegates to 
3.16 	the board or the advisory committee. Members of the advisory committee shall serve 
3.17 	three-year terms. Members shall serve until the end of their terms or until a successor has 
3.18 	been appointed, whichever is later. The advisory committee may consist of representatives 
3.19 	from county water planning entities, county planning and zoning, county environmental 
3.20 	services, drainage authorities, soil and water conservation districts, watershed districts, 
3.21 	watershed projects, watershed management organizations, municipalities, special interest 
3.22 	groups, citizens, agricultural organizations, state agencies, sporting organizations, and 
3.23 	other entities as identified by the advisory committee or the delegates. The advisory 
3.24 	committee serves as an avenue to raise concerns that the Minnesota River Board should 
3.25 	address. The Minnesota River Board shall provide the advisory committee with staff 
3.26 	support and meeting facilities.

3.27 	Sec. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
 3.28 	By August 1, 2009, the chair of the Minnesota River Board shall designate a member 
3.29 	of the Minnesota River Board Advisory Committee to convene the first meeting of the 
3.30 	advisory committee that includes new members authorized under section 1. The members 
3.31 	of the advisory committee shall select a chair and other officers from their membership at 
3.32 	the meeting of the advisory committee required by this section.