1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to natural resources; modifying intermediate auction timber sale 
1.3 	provisions;amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 90.121.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 90.121, is amended to read:
1.6 	90.121 INTERMEDIATE AUCTION SALES; MAXIMUM LOTS OF 3,000 
1.7 	CORDS.
1.8 	(a) The commissioner may sell the timber on any tract of state land in lots not 
1.9 	exceeding 3,000 cords in volume, in the same manner as timber sold at public auction 
1.10 	under section 90.101, and related laws, subject to the following special exceptions and 
1.11 	limitations:
1.12 	(1) the commissioner shall offer all tracts authorized for sale by this section 
1.13 	separately from the sale of tracts of state timber made pursuant to section 90.101;
1.14 	(2) no bidder may be awarded more than 25 percent of the total tracts offered at the 
1.15 	first round of bidding unless fewer than four tracts are offered, in which case not more 
1.16 	than one tract shall be awarded to one bidder. Any tract not sold at public auction may be 
1.17 	offered for private sale as authorized by section 90.101, subdivision 1, to persons eligible 
1.18 	under this section at the appraised value; and
1.19 	(3) no sale may be made to a person having more than 20 30 employees. For the 
1.20 	purposes of this clause, "employee" means an individual working as a logger for salary or 
1.21 	wages on a full-time or part-time basis.
1.22 	(b) The auction sale procedure set forth in this section constitutes an additional 
1.23 	alternative timber sale procedure available to the commissioner and is not intended to 
2.1 	replace other authority possessed by the commissioner to sell timber in lots of 3,000 
2.2 	cords or less.
2.3 	(c) Another bidder or the commissioner may request that the number of employees a 
2.4 	bidder has pursuant to paragraph (a), clause (3), be confirmed if there is evidence that the 
2.5 	bidder may be ineligible due to exceeding the employee threshold. The commissioner 
2.6 	shall request information from the commissioner of labor and industry including the 
2.7 	premiums paid by the bidder in question for workers' compensation insurance coverage 
2.8 	for all employees of the bidder. The commissioner shall review the information submitted 
2.9 	by the commissioner of labor and industry and make a determination based on the 
2.10 	information as to whether the bidder is eligible.