HF 353

1st Division Engrossment - 91st Legislature (2019 - 2020) Posted on 02/11/2020 02:55pm

A bill for an act
relating to capital investment; appropriating money for equipment grants to public
television stations.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin PUBLIC TV EQUIPMENT GRANTS.
new text end

new text begin (a) $15,000,000 in fiscal year 2020 is appropriated from the general fund to the
commissioner of administration for equipment grants to public stations, as defined in
Minnesota Statutes, section 129D.12, subdivision 2. The commissioner may use up to 1.5
percent of this appropriation for administrative costs.
new text end

new text begin (b) Before receiving an equipment grant under paragraph (a), a station must submit to
the commissioner a list of the equipment the station plans to purchase with the equipment
grant. The commissioner must not require the station to purchase equipment before receiving
the grant money. A station must report to the commissioner a list of the equipment purchased
with the grant.
new text end

new text begin (c) "Equipment" means the physical infrastructure, hardware, and software used for the
production, dissemination, interconnection, and transmission of digital media content, the
useful life of which may range from seven to 40 years.
new text end

new text begin (d) The commissioner must allocate the appropriation in paragraph (a) as follows:
two-sevenths of these funds shall be awarded to Twin Cities PBS; one-seventh to KSMQ
public television in Austin; one-seventh to Pioneer Public Television in Granite Falls;
one-seventh to Lakeland PBS in Bemidji; one-seventh to Prairie Public in Fargo/Moorhead;
and one-seventh to WDSE public television in Duluth.
new text end

new text begin (e) Grant funds not expended by a station during the first year of the biennium do not
cancel and may be carried over into the second fiscal year.
new text end