Legislative Session number- 85

Bill Name: SF1985

Relating to the organization, operation and financing of state government,
appropriating money for transportation, the metropolitan council and public
safety purposes

ARTICLE 1 - TRANSPORTATION APPROPRIATIONS

Providing a summary
of appropriations by fund; appropriating money to the commissioner of
transportation (DOT) for aeronautics, for airport development and assistance,
for aviation support and services, for transit and freight, for state roads for
infrastructure investment and planning and construction, operations and
maintenance and electronic communications, for local roads including county
state aids and municipal state aids, for general support and services, for the
town road sign replacement program, for certain transfers with the approval of
the commissioner of finance, for the use of state road construction
appropriations and for the transfer of funds for certain contingent
appropriations, to the metropolitan council for bus transit and for Hiawatha
light rail transit (LRT) line operations and to the commissioner of public
safety for certain administration and related services for the office of
communications, public safety and technical support services, for the state
patrol for patrolling highways, commercial vehicle enforcement, and capitol
security, for drivers and vehicles services and for traffic and pipeline safety;
authorizing and providing for certain fund transfers, for general contingent
accounts and for the payment of tort claims; specifying certain duties of the
commissioner relating to the Lafayette bridge; creating an airport funding
advisory task force to study and make recommendations on changes to current
funding methods and the state airports fund; 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

ARTICLE 2 - MOTOR VEHICLE SALES TAX, MOTOR
VEHICLE LEASE SALES TAX

Creating a transit assistance fund; changing the name
of the greater Minnesota transit fund and metropolitan area transit fund to the
greater Minnesota transit account and the metropolitan area account; eliminating
a sales tax exception for the metropolitan council for purchases of vehicles and
repair parts to equip operations; exempting sales by the department of
transportation materials and supplies used or consumed in and equipment for
commuter rail transportation systems including railroad cars and engines from
the sales tax; establishing phase in of motor vehicles sales tax revenues and
motor vehicle lease tax revenues to transportation; requiring document
administration fees or documentary fees to be included in the purchase price of
a motor vehicle; modifying metropolitan council financial assistance provisions
relating to the replacement service program; repealing certain provisions under
the transit assistance program

ARTICLE 3 - DRIVER AND VEHICLE SERVICES
FEES

Modifying provisions relating to motor vehicle monthly series registration
system exceptions; increasing license plate fees; increasing certificate of
title fees; increasing motorized bicycle operator permit fees; increasing
drivers license fees; increasing standby or temporary custodian fees; imposing a
reinstatement fee for theft of gasoline offense; imposing fees for escort
services provided by the state patrol

ARTICLE 4 - TRUNK HIGHWAY
BONDING

Appropriating money and authorizing the issuance of state bonds to
design, construct, furnish and equip a new district headquarters facility in
Mankato

ARTICLE 5 - TRANSPORTATION STATUTORY CHANGES

Appropriating a certain
percentage of the positive unrestricted budgetary general fund balance for
transfer to the transportation endowment fund; increasing documentary or
documentary administration fees for motor vehicle retail installment sales;
creating a transportation endowment fund, specifying fund use; modifying certain
distribution provisions of highway user tax proceeds and modifying uses of the
flexible highway account money to include safety improvements on trunk highways,
county highways and municipal streets and highways; specifying certain
distribution requirements for money remaining in the world war II memorial
donation matching account; requiring the commissioner to use all available
federal funding to develop, conduct and administer highway construction training
and to include a contractor penalty for contracts with
federal funding not
meeting project disadvantaged business enterprise goals or a good faith effort;
requiring the commissioner to submit annual reports on the status of major
highway projects under construction; modifying certain periodic evaluation
requirements of the metropolitan area transportation system performance;
modifying and clarifying certain special transportation service provisions
relating to metropolitan council objectives, reporting requirements,
transportation accessibility advisory committee membership requirements,
eligibility application and verification requirements and imposing a penalty for
fraudulent certification, and modifying certain duties of the council;
increasing the bonding authority of the metropolitan council to issue
certificates of indebtedness, bonds or other obligations for metropolitan area
transit and paratransit capital expenditures, limit; 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 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; clarifying
metropolitan transit police jurisdiction, including the transit police in the
distribution of forfeited items; redefining transit tax district; authorizing
transit tax levies outside the existing metropolitan transit taxing district;
modifying certain duties of the commissioner of revenue relating to transit tax
imposition determinations; requiring the commissioner to incorporate a station
located in the city of Fridley in final design plans and construction of the
Northstar corridor commuter rail line; specifying metropolitan area
applicability for certain provisions; repealing certain metropolitan council
provisions relating to district boundaries, the definition of commuting area,
revised transportation policy plan requirements and additions to a transit
taxing district; making technical and clarifying changes
(je)