2E Relating to the organization, operation and financing of state government, appropriating money for agricultural, environmental, natural resources and economic development purposes

ARTICLE 1 - AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Appropriating money to the commissioner of agriculture for the voluntary cleanup program, for increased monitoring of pesticides in ground and surface waters, for Minnesota grown promotion and sustainable agriculture demonstration projects grants, for a local livestock siting and zoning issues training and technical assistance program, for a livestock odor and air quality management contract with the university of Minnesota, for ethanol producer payments, for service station E85 gasoline pumps installation and ethanol combustion efficiency grants, for continuation of certain dairy planning and development grants, for the northern crops institute and the Minnesota livestock breeders association, for family farm security interest payment adjustments, for county and district agricultural societies and associations, for mental health counseling support to farm families through the Minnesota state colleges and universities (MnSCU) and for grants to the northern Minnesota forage turf seed advisory committee, to second harvest heartland and to the Minnesota horticultural society, to the board of animal health for the domestic bovine herds paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) control and avian pneumovirus disease investigation programs, for cervidae inspection and for grants to the university of Minnesota veterinary diagnostic laboratory to expand animal disease surveillance for animal agriculture and public health protection purposes and to the agricultural utilization research institute; requiring a certain fund transfer to the general fund; abolishing the waste pesticide account; requiring the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to study the impact of a rail container load out facility in the west central area of the state; stating the goals of the state relating to minimizing energy use through the use of renewable fuels, establishing a smartfleet committee for implementation purposes; modifying the dates for commissioner semiannual reports to the legislature on agricultural fund expenditures; authorizing the commissioner to impose a nonrefundable application fee for agricultural best management practices loans and increasing a certain limit on certain sewage treatment system loans; imposing criminal and administrative penalties for certain food handler violations; qualifying the requirement for administrative citations to state the time for correction and eliminating the time limit for commissioner initiation of contested case proceedings after receiving a citation or penalty assessment appeal; requiring commissioner grain scale testing upon request at domestic locations, requiring fees charged by the commissioner for testing scales and weighing equipment to be uniform with the fees charged by the division of weights and measures of the department of commerce; increasing certain permit, license or registration application and inspection fees; increasing the limit on reimbursement to the commissioner from the agricultural chemical response and reimbursement account for administrative costs; clarifying the authority of the commissioner to enter and inspect public or private places and to issue stop sale orders or directives for plant protection purposes; expanding the shade tree pest and disease control program; clarifying certain definitions under the nursery law and modifying certain nursery stock certificate and inspection requirements and increasing certificate application fees; expanding the restriction on the distribution or wild orchids; modifying certain certificate or inspection fee, bee colony registration and commercial feed license application and renewal requirements; extending the expiration date of the organic advisory task force; designating the university of Minnesota veterinary diagnostic laboratory as the official laboratory of the board of animal health, authorizing the board to assume control of the resources of the laboratory in declared emergencies to effectively address animal disease outbreaks; transferring the regulation of farmed and wild cervidae from the department of agriculture to the board of animal health; clarifying the exemption of county agricultural societies from local zoning ordinances and authorizing the appointment of security guards for police services; restricting ethanol producer payments to ethanol produced at a specific location and authorizing commissioner direct payments to rural economic infrastructure producers under the ethanol development program, defining rural economic infrastructure; requiring and providing for commissioner motor vehicle ethanol combustion efficiency grants and for rural finance authority establishment and implementation of a livestock equipment pilot loan program; extending the interest free status of manure digester loans; establishing the RFA revolving loan account to replace the value added agricultural product and methane digester revolving loan funds for receipt of loan repayments, transferring remaining balances from the individual loan program revolving accounts and authorizing use for the livestock equipment loan program; modifying certain livestock feedlot permit application notice requirements; eliminating the term limit for members of the board of directors of the agricultural utilization research institute; regulating the performance of equine teeth floating services; requiring motor vehicle dealers delivering flexible fuel vehicles to provide written notice to consumers of the ability of the vehicle to use alternative fuels including E85 fuel; extending the exemption of vehicles transporting milk from seasonal highway weight restrictions; expanding certain commissioner of transportation local road improvement fund procedures and criteria establishment consultation requirements and requiring consideration of livestock and other agricultural operations in establishing criteria for determining project priority; increasing certain grain buyers and storage and household goods warehouses license fees and modifying certain grain buyer financial statement preparation requirements; exempting certain farm labor housing from regulation as a manufactured home park; modifying the process for adoption of amendment of local feedlot zoning ordinances, requiring an analysis of economic impacts and modifying or expanding certain hearing requirements; creating a temporary agricultural nutrient task force to review certain fertilizer and soil nutrient selection and application practices and report to the legislature by a certain date; requiring the reliability administrator in the department of commerce to perform a comprehensive technical and economic analysis of the benefits of using biodiesel fuel or biodiesel fuel blends as a residential, industrial and commercial heating fuel and report the results to the legislature by a certain date; requesting the university of Minnesota to continue providing support for sustainable and organic agriculture initiatives including the alternative swine systems program; specifying certain cross reference change instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing the waste pesticide account, apiary inspection fees, certain definitions under the nursery law, the penalty for failure to correct certain agriculture law violations and the expiration date of the provision providing for emergency restrictions on the movement of people, livestock, machinery and other personal property during disastrous animal disease outbreaks

ARTICLE 2 - ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Appropriating money to the pollution control agency for the clean water partnership program, for water quality protection assistance and education, for individual sewage treatment system (ISTS) administration and grants, for new technology review, for county feedlot program grants, for the small business environmental improvement loan, air pollution and water quality monitoring and leaking underground storage tank programs, for county SCORE block grants, for environmental assistance grants or loans and for administrative support, to the commissioner of natural resources (DNR) for land, mineral and water resources, forest, parks and recreation, trails and waterways and fish and wildlife management, for ecological services, for enforcement activities and for operations support, to the Minnesota conservation corps, to the board of water and soil resources (BOWSR) for local government units natural resources block and soil and water conservation district grants and for grants to the Red River basin commission to develop a basin plan and to the Minnesota River basin projects area II for floodplain management, for a public drainage system buffers assessment and for beaver damage control grants, to the zoological board, to the science museum, to the metropolitan council for regional parks and trails maintenance and operations and to various agencies for certain Minnesota resources projects, specifying certain data availability, project, match, expenditure, recycling, energy conservation and accessibility requirements; requiring a PCA commissioner forest products and mining industry projects report to the legislature by a certain date; modifying the disposition of receipts credited to the forest suspense account by the commissioner of finance, providing for transfer of certain receipts to the forest management investment account; increasing the limit on gifts by the commissioner of natural resources to members of the public to promote conservation or create awareness of natural resources in the state; modifying the authority of the commissioner relating to electronic transactions, authorizing the commissioner to establish an electronic licensing system commission for recovery of electronic licensing system costs; modifying the landowners bill of rights for sales of land to the state, authorizing mutual agreements between nonprofit organizations or governmental entities and the commissioner for waiver of certain land exchange requirements and authorizing commissioner right of first refusal agreements with landowners before determining the value of the land, specifying certain limits; imposing a nonrefundable application fee to obtain road easements across state land, requiring deposit of receipts in the land management account in the natural resources fund; expanding the penalties for the operation of off highway motorcycles or off road or all-terrain vehicles on restricted wetlands under certain conditions; extending the deadline for transferring the remaining balance in the off highway vehicle damage account to the off highway motorcycle, off road motorcycle and ATV accounts; authorizing the commissioner to permit department personnel and equipment from the division of trails and waterways to be used to assist local government units in maintaining off highway vehicle trails; modifying certain recreational vehicle temporary permit and snowmobile trail sticker and certain license agent requirements; requiring registration decals issued by the commissioner on off highway motorcycles, specifying certain display requirements and exceptions; authorizing commissioner recreational vehicle or watercraft registration refunds under certain conditions; imposing certain noise emission standards on the motorcycles; requiring persons receiving off highway motorcycle violation citations to complete the environment and safety education and training program; imposing licensing agents issuing fees for duplicate recreational vehicle and firearms safety certificates; creating an exception to off road vehicle registration requirements for vehicles operated at the Iron Range off highway vehicle recreation area; requiring and providing for the commissioner to establish a comprehensive off road vehicle environment and safety education and training program; specifying certain required and authorized uses of money credited to the snowmobile trails and enforcement account; requiring certain individuals based on age or citations receipt to successfully complete the independent study and/or testing and operating course components of ATV safety training; authorizing course instructors to charge for the cost of class material and expenses; modifying the youthful operator restriction relating to ATV engine size and certain passenger restrictions; authorizing the use of ATVs and off road vehicles off forest trails or roads on forest lands classified as managed or limited under certain conditions, excepting the Richard J. Dorer memorial hardwood forest; creating certain exceptions to the prohibition on operation of ATVs on roadways, shoulders or rights-of-way and prohibiting operation with certain snorkel devices; modifying certain provisions relating to commercial fishing restrictions in infested waters, requiring the commissioner to provide commercial licensees with a current listing of designated infested waters at the time of license or permit issuance; authorizing the establishment of trails extending the Glacial Lakes trail system from New London to Cold Spring; authorizing the commissioner to provide an alternative means to display and validate annual state park permits and to designate a state park open house day at each park; exempting a certain parking area at Big Bog state recreation area in Beltrami county from state park permit requirements; authorizing the commissioner to authorize waiver or reduction of state park entrance fees; increasing the fees for cross country ski passes and modifying authorized uses of money in the cross country ski account in the natural resources fund; increasing certain watercraft license fees; creating the water recreation account in the natural resources fund for deposit of certain fees, surcharges, fines, penalties and unrefunded gasoline tax receipts relating to watercraft, restricting the use of money in the account; authorizing the issuance of electronic burning permits, fees, creating a burning permit account in the natural resources fund for deposit of the fees and appropriating the money in the account to the commissioner for the costs of operating the permit system; establishing the forest bough account in the natural resources fund for deposit of bough buyers fees; exempting forest trail designation changes from certain rulemaking requirements of the commissioner; requiring the commissioner to give preference to Minnesota grown planting stock in purchasing tree planting stock; authorizing use of a certain amount of money deposited in the forest nursery account for forestry education and technical assistance; modifying the fee for permits to salvage or cut fuelwood; creating the land and minerals management accounts in the natural resources fund and providing for use; modifying certain provisions regulating the classification, valuation and exchange of state lands; extending the expiration date of the game and fish budgetary oversight committee and requiring annual committee budget plan recommendations to the legislature; modifying certain payments in lieu of taxes on certain game refuge lands; expanding the authorized uses of trout and salmon stamp revenues; eliminating the requirement for the commissioner to include information on projects in the annual lifetime fish and wildlife trust fund receipts and expenditures report; eliminating the open season on lynx; requiring the commissioners of human services and natural resources to request a waiver from federal requirements for social security numbers on game and fish and cross country ski licenses for certain youth; modifying certain hunting license issuance and fee provisions; providing for the tagging and registration of certain species of fish; authorizing the training of hunting dogs on public lands with a permit or by commissioner rule; authorizing the board of soil and water resources to acquire conservation easements on behalf of the state and federal government compatible with the Camp Ripley army compatible use buffer project; requiring permission of the drainage authority or persons affected to plant trees over public or private drain; reinstating the beaver damage control grant program under the board; increasing certain water use processing and water bank program application fees and modifying the surcharge requirement for irrigation permits; eliminating the expiration date for citizen monitoring of water quality; imposing a certain ethics requirement on individual sewage treatment system inspectors and limiting the tank fee; extending the expiration date of the environmental education advisory board under the office of environmental assistance (OEA); replacing the solid waste management and prevention, reduction and recycling advisory councils with a temporary environmental innovations advisory council; expanding the authority of sanitary districts relating to solid waste management and eliminating the requirement for local government units to file separate waste management fee reports; extending the deadline for prohibiting the placement of cathode ray tubes in mixed municipal solid waste; clarifying the definition of full time equivalence for employees or owners of dry cleaning facilities; providing for the indemnification of pollution prevention assistance program participants; specifying certain annual reporting requirements of recipients of appropriations from the environment and natural resources trust fund used to acquire interest in real property; encouraging road authorities to use low maintenance native vegetation reducing the need to mow ditches outside cities for wildlife habitat and public safety purposes, requiring the commissioner of natural resources to cooperate with the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to provide enhanced roadside habitat for nesting birds and other small wildlife; authorizing personalization of and the issuance of critical habitat license plates for recreational equipment; subjecting motorboat trailers to seizure and forfeiture for operation while impaired (DWI,BWI); imposing a deadline for certain utilities to obtain funding from nonstate sources for certain biomass projects; authorizing county auditors with county board approval to contract with municipal public utilities for the sale of farm grown closed loop biomass or short rotation woody crops; modifying the authorized use by counties of tax-forfeited land sale receipts for forest development; eliminating the use of unrefunded gas taxes for motorboat use for state park development; increasing the allocation of revenues from the solid waste management tax to the environmental fund; requiring cities and towns to regulate the repair, replacement, maintenance, improvement or expansion of nonconforming uses and structures in floodplain areas; requiring and providing for the metropolitan council to carry out metropolitan area water supply planning activities; modifying certain metropolitan housing bond credit enhancement program debt service payment requirements; authorizing alternative investments of county environmental trust fund deposits and modifying the limit on the expenditure of tax-forfeited land sale proceeds from the fund; correcting the purpose of a certain prior appropriation to the university of Minnesota for land acquisition at the landscape arboretum; reviving the authority of the pollution control agency to adopt rules relating to water quality assessment for state waters; expanding certain forest classification status review requirements of the commissioner of natural resources and requiring the commissioner to permit individuals to operate ATVs on privately owned land in areas open to taking deer by firearms during the legal shooting hours of the season under certain conditions; providing for the disposition of mineral payments for fiscal years 2006 and 2007; creating a temporary waste management task force to examine the management of organic waste and report to the legislature by a certain date; creating an environment and natural resources trust fund advisory task force to make recommendations for expenditures from the fund; providing for the continuation of agreements entered into between the metropolitan council and participants in the credit enhancement program; requiring the council to transfer funds from the proceeds of solid waste bonds available but not needed for the credit enhancement program to the general fund for water supply planning activities; entitling a certain former employee of the department of natural resources to disability benefits from the Minnesota state retirement system (MSRS); merging the office of environmental assistance with the PCA: specifying certain reference and language deletion instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing the metropolitan water use and supply plan and the housing bond credit enhancement program, certain state land exchange provisions and the existing off highway vehicle safety and conservation program

ARTICLE 3 - JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS

Appropriating money to the commissioner of employment and economic development (DEED) for business and community development, for the job skills partnership program, for training for hard to train individuals, for opportunities industrialization center, certain youth intervention and employment programs and for employment services for persons with disabilities, to the Minnesota conservation corps, to the commissioner of commerce for financial examinations, for the petroleum tank release cleanup board, for administrative services, for market assurance and for energy and telecommunications, to the housing finance agency (HFA) for the economic development and housing challenge program, for the housing trust fund, for a rental housing assistance program for persons with mental illness, for family homeless prevention and assistance programs, for the affordable rental investment fund, for housing rehabilitation and accessibility, for home ownership education, counseling and training and for capacity building grants, to explore Minnesota tourism, to the commissioner of labor and industry for workers compensation, for workplace services and for general support, to the bureau of mediation services for labor management cooperation grants, to the workers compensation court of appeals, to the Minnesota historical society for education and outreach, for preservation and access, for the Minnesota international center, for the air national guard and military museums, for farmamerica and for a grant to Otter Tail county to redesign, furnish and equip a veterans museum in Perham, to the arts board for operations and services, for grants programs and for regional arts councils, to the boards of accountancy, of architecture, engineering, land surveying, landscape architecture, geoscience and interior design and of barber and cosmetologists examiners and to the public utilities commission (PUC); providing for certain fund transfers including transfers for the fair housing and mortgage consumer education programs; establishing the budget base for the home ownership assistance fund in fiscal years 2008 and 2009; specifying certain requirements of owners of federally assisted rental property under the acquisition and rehabilitation program; specifying certain tourism appropriation match requirements; increasing certain high pressure piping pipefitter license fees; requiring the commissioner of labor and industry to report to the legislature on the safety and education program for loggers; requiring the boards of accountancy and of architecture, engineering, land surveying, landscape architecture, geosicience and interior design to combine administrative functions

ARTICLE 4 - JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POLICY PROVISIONS

Requiring the legislative coordinating commission (LCC) to study and report to the legislature on matters relating to the economic status of women and on the adequacy of programs and services to families in the state; updating certain weights and measures standards; setting or increasing certain license fees payable to the commissioner of commerce; expanding the membership requirements for the real estate appraiser advisory board and specifying a frequency requirement for advisory board meetings; authorizing the petroleum tank release compensation board to adopt rules specifying competitive bidding and proposal and invoice requirements for consultant services proposals and to provide reimbursements for certain bulk plant work completed after a certain date under certain conditions, extending the expiration date of the petroleum tank release cleanup program; increasing the amount of money required to be annually allocated for renewable energy production incentives; extending the availability of money appropriated to the contaminated site cleanup and development grant account; modifying certain Minnesota redevelopment account provisions, expanding authorized use to the metropolitan area, specifying certain project priority and grant match requirements; authorizing the commissioner of employment and economic development (DEED) to sell marketing materials at cost to economic development organizations to pay for production of the materials; modifying certain Minnesota investment fund grant limits and certain job training program grant qualification requirements; expanding business subsidy report content requirements; removing the chair of the workforce development council from job skills partnership board membership, expanding authorized uses of workforce development funds, modifying the special assessment for the funds and establishing the incumbent worker grant program under the board to expand opportunities for businesses and workers to gain new skills; expanding the duties of local workforce councils; changing the prohibition on the start of the school year before September 1st to a start before Labor Day; modifying the compensation for members of the arts board; replacing the commissioner of employment and economic development with the director of explore Minnesota tourism on the membership of the Mississippi River parkway commission and authorizing the commission to accept gifts, grants and endowments; modifying certain truck and trailer wheel flap requirements and certain highway length and weight restrictions for traffic regulation purposes and clarifying the definition of peace officer; providing for the issuance of special permits for certain vehicles hauling paper products, requiring compliance with certain restrictions and imposing an annual fee; modifying the relative value fee schedule under workers compensation and requiring the commissioner of labor and industry to establish conversion factors for certain services; prohibiting employer misrepresentation of the employment relationship with employees and prohibiting agreements or documents resulting in misclassification of the employee as an independent contractor; requiring the commissioner to issue annual permits to boats carrying passengers for hire on inland waters and modifying certain boiler and engine inspection and fee requirements, specifying certain registration requirements, imposing certain examination requirements on licensees and modifying certain reporting requirements of boiler insurers; expanding eligibility for renewable energy production incentive payments for wind energy conversion facilities; creating an exception to the requirement for telephone companies to annually forward balance sheets to the public utilities commission and the commissioner of commerce and modifying certain regulatory expense assessment requirements, replacing the requirement for telephone companies to pay for investigations with a new authority application payment requirement; requiring and providing for PUC establishment of a per number fee to fund the telephone assistance (TAP), telecommunications access (TAM) and 911 emergency and public safety communications programs, requiring remittance to the commissioner of revenue for allocation purposes; authorizing use of money in the telephone assistance fund for promotional activities; granting certain citations issuance authority to the director of the weights and measures division of the department of commerce and modifying certain petroleum products inspection requirements; requiring refineries or terminals selling or transferring biodiesel fuel to provide a bill of lading or shipping manifest to the person receiving the fuel, specifying certain document disclosure requirements; providing for automotive fuel ratings, certification and posting, specifying certain duties of distributors, retailers and the director; authorizing the dissemination of unemployment insurance data without consent of the subject of the data to local and state welfare agencies to identify employment, wages and other information to assist in the collection of overpayment debts in assistance programs; requiring the department of revenue to provide explore Minnesota tourism with a certain periodic sales tax report; prohibiting the commissioner of Iron Range resources and rehabilitation from selling or privatizing the Ironworld discovery center or Giants Ridge golf and ski resort without IRRRB approval; establishing a grant and loan fund for taconite producers and providing for distributions to the cities of Virginia, Hibbing and Tower for certain projects; excluding certain calls from the definition of telephone solicitation for trade practices regulation purposes; regulating representations of 911 emergency phone service, specifying certain restrictions and certain disclosure requirements; requiring reimbursement to the department of commerce for legal and administrative expenses under the contractors recovery fund; modifying certain provisions regulating the sale of abandoned securities; expanding eligibility for survivor benefits without a minimum marriage period requirement under the public employees retirement association (PERA) police and fire fund to survivors of fund members killed in active military service; providing for a targeted early separation incentive program for certain employees of the IRRRB under the Minnesota state retirement system (MSRS), sunset; increasing the marriage license marriage dissolution fee and providing for appropriation of the increases to the commissioner of employment and economic development to fund the displaced homemaker program; modifying certain county capital improvement plan requirements; expanding the authority of the housing finance agency (HFA) to refinance residential housing and eligibility for economic development and housing challenge grants or loans; modifying the compensation for port authority commissioners; expanding the authority of counties to form county economic development authorities to metropolitan area counties under certain conditions; modifying the definitions of qualified business for job opportunity building and biotechnology and health sciences industry zone purposes and clarifying certain tax reduction repayment obligation requirements for businesses in either type of zone; increasing the frequency requirement for local government unit pay equity (equitable compensation) reports to the legislature; reducing the penalty for the crime of obstruction of treatment of railroad employees injured on the job; extending the authority of the PUC to assess administrative penalties for anticompetitive activities of telecommunications providers; extending the temporary petrofund fee exemption for state commercial airlines; modifying certain provisions regulating the purchase and deployment of hydrogen fuel cells and related technologies; establishing a temporary Minnesota sesquicentennial commission to plan activities relating to the 150th anniversary of statehood; reviving the local approval requirement for a certain Redwood county surplus state land sale; specifying certain renumbering, alphabetization and cross reference correction instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing the criteria for use of funds in the Minnesota redevelopment accounts, the authority of the commissioner of employment and economic development to enter into certain tourism project agreements, the requirement for annual job skills partnership board reports to the legislature on workforce development programs, the apprenticeship registration fee, the definitions of carbon monoxide control area and period under the weights and measures division, mortgage credit certificate aid and the expiration date for certain expedited proceedings and practices of the PUC

ARTICLE 5 - REGULATION OF SERVICE CONTRACTS

Providing for the regulation of service contracts and contract providers, exemptions; specifying certain requirements for transacting business, authorizing the appointment of an administrator, requiring registration with the commissioner of commerce, specifying certain insurance and other financial requirements, imposing a right of return; specifying certain required disclosures relating to reimbursement insurance policies and service contracts; specifying certain prohibited acts and recordkeeping requirements; providing for termination of reimbursement insurance policies, imposing certain obligations on insurers; severability provision; prohibiting certain unfair or deceptive practices relating to service contracts
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