1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to arts and culture; appropriating money for regional library systems.
1.3 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.4 	Section 1. APPROPRIATION; DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
 1.5 	(a) $2,500,000 in fiscal year 2022 and $2,500,000 in fiscal year 2023 are appropriated 
1.6 	from the arts and cultural heritage fund to the commissioner of education for grants to the 
1.7 	12 Minnesota regional library systems to provide educational opportunities in the arts, 
1.8 	history, literary arts, and cultural heritage of Minnesota. The money must be allocated using 
1.9 	the formulas in Minnesota Statutes, section 134.355, subdivisions 3, 4, and 5, with the 
1.10 	remaining 25 percent to be distributed to all qualifying systems in an amount proportionate 
1.11 	to the number of qualifying system entities in each system. For purposes of this section, 
1.12 	"qualifying system entity" means a public library, a regional library system, a regional 
1.13 	library system headquarters, a county, or an outreach service program. The money may be 
1.14 	used to sponsor programs provided by regional libraries or to provide grants to local arts 
1.15 	and cultural heritage programs for programs in partnership with regional libraries. The 
1.16 	money must be distributed in ten equal payments per year. Notwithstanding Minnesota 
1.17 	Statutes, section 16A.28, the appropriations encumbered on or before June 30, 2023, as 
1.18 	grants or contracts under this section are available until June 30, 2025.
1.19 	(b) $125,000 in fiscal year 2022 and $125,000 in fiscal year 2023 are appropriated from 
1.20 	the arts and cultural heritage fund to the commissioner of education for a grant to the entity 
1.21 	designated by the Library of Congress as the Minnesota Center for the Book to provide 
1.22 	statewide programming related to the Minnesota Book Awards and for additional 
1.23 	programming throughout the state related to the Center for the Book designation.