1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to public buildings; appropriating money for research to integrate weather 
1.3 	trends in designing and operating public buildings to reduce operational costs and 
1.4 	prevent damage from extreme weather events; requiring a report.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. APPROPRIATION; IMPACTS OF FUTURE WEATHER TRENDS ON 
1.7 	PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AND DESIGN.
 1.8 	(a) $690,000 in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
1.9 	of administration to contract with the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota for 
1.10 	a grant to the Institute on the Environment to conduct research examining how projections 
1.11 	of future weather trends may exacerbate conditions such as drought, elevated temperatures, 
1.12 	and flooding that:
1.13 	(1) can be integrated into the design and evaluation of buildings constructed by the state 
1.14 	of Minnesota and local units of government so as to:
1.15 	(i) reduce energy costs by deploying cost-effective energy efficiency measures, innovative 
1.16 	construction materials and techniques, and renewable energy sources; and
1.17 	(ii) prevent and minimize damage to buildings caused by extreme weather conditions, 
1.18 	including but not limited to increased frequency of intense precipitation events and tornadoes, 
1.19 	flooding, and elevated temperatures; and
1.20 	(2) may weaken the ability of natural systems to mitigate those conditions to the point 
1.21 	where human intervention in the form of the building of, or the redesign of the scale and 
1.22 	operation of, infrastructure is required to address those conditions in order to:
2.1 	(i) maintain and increase the amount and quality of food and wood production;
2.2 	(ii) reduce fire risk on forested land;
2.3 	(iii) maintain and enhance water quality; and
2.4 	(iv) maintain and enhance natural habitats.
2.5 	(b) The contract must provide that, no later than February 1, 2025, the director of the 
2.6 	Institute on the Environment, or the director's designee, submit a written report to the chairs 
2.7 	and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over 
2.8 	environment policy and capital investment summarizing the findings and recommendations 
2.9 	of the research, including any recommendations for policy changes or other legislation.

2.10 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.