Legislative Session number- 85

Bill Name: SF1971

4E Relating to transportation; classifying certain department of transportation
(DOT) data relating to market research, overhead rates and bid escrow;
authorizing a state agency or a political subdivision to enter property for
purposes of investigation, monitoring, testing, surveying or boring to perform
geotechnical investigations before eminent domain proceedings, requiring
notification, prohibiting unnecessary property damage; providing a limit on
business reestablishment costs; defining expressway; modifying the definition of
freeway; requiring the commissioner allow commercial motor vehicle operators
subject to hours of service regulations under certain federal regulations to
stop and park continuously for up to a certain period of time as necessary at
safety rest areas and travel information centers; modifying voyageur highway
description; designating I-94 as the Purple Heart trail; designating a certain
portion of trunk highway #210 from the city of Motley to the city of Staples as
Dallas Sams memorial highway; designating a certain portion of trunk highway #53
in the city of Duluth as the Walter F. Mondale drive; designating the causeway
over Pokegama Lake on trunk highway #169 as the Jim Oberstar causeway;
eliminating the requirement for highway contracts bid advertisements to be
published in newspapers, requiring bids to be submitted electronically and
eliminating the requirement for bids to be opened and read in public under
certain conditions; requiring the commissioner prior to entering into
privatization contracts to compare the cost of state employee performance with
the cost of privatization, specifying certain applicability provisions, contract
review and legislature reporting requirements, "Taxpayers Transportation
Accountability Act"; changing current funding of the university of Minnesota
center for transportation studies; defining AASHTO manual for bridge and
culverts inspection purposes; requiring annual bridge inspections; defining
vehicle mounted concrete pumps as special mobile equipment for motor vehicle
registration purposes; requiring money remaining in the world war II memorial
donation account after the state share of the construction costs of the memorial
have been paid in full is appropriated to the commissioner of veterans affairs
for services and programs for veteran and their families; modifying certain
content and form requirements for motor vehicle certificates of title; modifying
provisions relating to application for salvage certificate of title; requiring
dealers purchasing titled motor vehicles for the purpose of dismantling or
destroying to notify the registrar, providing for a transaction fee; expanding
the authority of units of government and peace officers to take into custody and
impound unauthorized vehicles located so as to constitute an accident or traffic
hazard; modifying the definitions of motorized foot scooter, explosives,
flammable liquid and recreational vehicle combination for traffic regulation
purposes; defining valid license and valid drivers license; expanding the
authority to tow vehicles for a local government entity to authorized employees
of the department of transportation and private towing companies; modifying
provisions relating to yellow arrow signals; providing for owner or lessee of a
vehicle stopped, standing or parked in violation to be guilty of a petty
misdemeanor, providing for exceptions under certain conditions; authorizing the
use of communication headsets by emergency medical services personnel operating
emergency vehicles; increasing the age requirement for motor vehicle operators
to restrain child passengers with an appropriate child restraint system,
requiring the fine to be waived under certain conditions, removing the exemption
for a taxi, limousine and bus for hire; making seat belt use violations a
primary offense by authorizing peace officers to issue citations without
observing a moving violation, expanding the seat belt use requirement to all
passengers in a motor vehicle, making certain technical changes; modifying the
definition of commercial vehicle; clarifying inspection requirements; permitting
a person employed by a government agency owning commercial vehicles to inspect
commercial vehicles; eliminating certain separate categories of inspector
certificates; clarifying the issuance of inspection decals; clarifying proof of
federal inspection application; requiring the submission of written daily
inspection reports by commercial motor vehicle operators; modifying criteria for
peace officers notification of the state patrol for accidents involving a
commercial motor vehicle; increasing the allowable length limit for single
vehicles; modifying allowable vehicle weights on paved nine ton roads for motor
vehicles; modifying tow trucks or towing vehicles provisions and requiring a
permit to tow oversized and overweight vehicles under certain conditions;
extending the permissible route for three unit paper products vehicles and
authorizing certain trucks to qualify for special paper products vehicle
permits; removing the sunset date for weight exemptions for certain milk trucks;
limiting the authority of cities and counties to impose administrative penalties
on certain speed limit law violators; clarifying the requirement for persons to
operate a motor vehicle with a valid license, defining valid license and valid
drivers license; modifying restrictions on the operation of motor vehicles by
holders of provisional drivers licenses; authorizing the use of an address
designated by the secretary of state for data protection purposes for victims of
violence to be used for drivers license applications and identification (ID)
cards purposes; requiring the commissioner use the maximum feasible amount of
available federal funding to develop, conduct and administer highway
construction training; requiring inclusion of a contractor sanction for
contracts with federal funding not meeting project disadvantaged business
enterprise goals or a good faith effort; requiring the commissioner to perform
life cycle cost analysis for paving materials on projects exceeding a certain
amount; modifying eligible activities of the public transit participation
program; requiring commissioner of transportation to work with providers to
provide supplementary paratransit services; requiring commissioner to require
certain providers to enter into intercounty service agreements; requiring
commissioner to support one stop regional call centers for assisting customers
with rides; requiring special transportation service providers to display
contact information in each vehicle for people filing complaints, requiring the
commissioner to investigate and resolve any complaints regarding special
transportation services, requiring report to the legislature; requiring the
commissioner to submit annual reports on the status of major highway projects
under construction; creating the position of state rail safety inspector,
requiring railroad companies to provide walkways alongside tracks with regular
surfaces, compliance not a defense in a civil action, allowing commissioner
determination of need for reasonable walkway safety standard implementation for
railroad employee safety, providing walkway exemptions for certain small
businesses; requiring persons providing small vehicle passenger service to
comply with certain rules; modifying vehicle identification rules for certain
motor carriers; requiring safety permits for certain carriers transporting
hazardous materials; clarifying age requirement for operating a self propelled
or towed vehicle engaged in intrastate transportation; granting transportation
representatives access to certain safety permits relating to hazardous material;
requiring the commissioner of transportation (DOT) to enter into the unified
carrier registration agreement; modifying expenditures under the rail service
improvement program and regulating state rail bank property use; specifying
certain title branding requirements for lemon law vehicles by the registrar of
motor vehicles; imposing a court fee surcharge for seat belt violations;
limiting the authority of cities and counties to impose administrative penalties
on certain speed limit law violators, on persons failing to obey traffic control
devices and on persons failing to have operable lights; modifying certain
metropolitan council periodic evaluation requirements of the metropolitan area
transportation system performance prior to revision of the transportation policy
plan; modifying metropolitan area light rail transit (LRT) planning, designing
and construction; requiring the metropolitan council to identify in the
transportation policy plan heavily traveled corridors to be benefited by
transitways; requiring the council to designate locally preferred alternative
transit modes after locally directed studies; requiring the governor to
designate the metropolitan council or the state acting through the department of
transportation (DOT) as the responsible authority for each metropolitan area
proposed light rail transit facility; requiring the DOT to transfer all
constructed facilities, equipment and property to the metropolitan council upon
LRT facility completion; authorizing the metropolitan council to plan, design,
acquire, construct and equip LRT facilities in the metropolitan area; requiring
all proposed metropolitan council procurement over a certain amount to be
reviewed by the legislative advisory commission (LAC); including the transit
police in the distribution of forfeited items; delaying the effective date
authorizing a permit for a special paper products vehicle; creating a congestion
reduction task force to advise and consult with the commissioner concerning
participation by the state in the federal urban partnership program; creating an
airport funding advisory task force to study and make recommendations regarding
best methods for funding airports in the state and the state airports fund;
requiring the commissioner to reopen the Culkin highway safety rest area on
I-35; requiring the commissioner of public safety to propose a system to the
legislature by a certain date to allow credit and debit card payments of motor
vehicle registration taxes, certificate of title transactions, and drivers
license and ID card fees; requiring the commissioner of transportation to study
current and long range needs of the state transportation system and report to
the legislature; requiring the commissioner to report to the legislature by a
certain date on speed limits on local roads; requiring the commissioner of
transportation (DOT) to incorporate a Fridley station on the northstar commuter
rail line; requiring the commissioner to issue necessary permits to the city of
Rochester to complete construction of a new folded diamond interchange in the
northeast and northwest quadrants at trunk highway 52 and a local city street;
requiring the commissioner of transportation and the metropolitan council to
report on transportation services for persons with disabilities; repealing
certain provisions relating to registration of interstate carriers, certificate
of title pollution control equipment disclosure and motor vehicle air pollution
control systems disclosure requirements, the program requiring motor vehicle
owners to provide verification of auto insurance by mail to the commissioner of
public safety and the requirement prohibiting the seeking of financial
assistance for construction of LRT facilities until construction has begun on
the central corridor or Riverview corridors
(ra)