HF 972

as introduced - 82nd Legislature (2001 - 2002) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; creating a local highway 
  1.3             assistance fund for counties, cities, and towns; 
  1.4             making a standing appropriation of money in the fund 
  1.5             to the commissioner of transportation and providing 
  1.6             for allocation of money in the fund by the 
  1.7             commissioner; providing for deposit of 30 percent of 
  1.8             revenues from the motor vehicle sales tax to the fund; 
  1.9             amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 297B.09, 
  1.10            subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.11            Minnesota Statutes, chapter 174. 
  1.12  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.13     Section 1.  [174.52] [LOCAL HIGHWAY ASSISTANCE FUND.] 
  1.14     Subdivision 1.  [FUND CREATED.] A local highway assistance 
  1.15  fund is created in the state treasury.  The fund consists of 
  1.16  money credited to it under section 297B.09, subdivision 1.  A 
  1.17  county assistance account, municipal assistance account, and 
  1.18  town assistance account are created in the local highway 
  1.19  assistance fund. 
  1.20     Subd. 2.  [ALLOCATION.] Ninety-five percent of the money in 
  1.21  the local highway assistance fund must be allocated as follows: 
  1.22     (1) 60 percent to the county assistance account; 
  1.23     (2) 35 percent to the municipal assistance account; and 
  1.24     (3) five percent to the town assistance account. 
  1.25     Subd. 3.  [COUNTY ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT.] Money in the county 
  1.26  assistance account is appropriated to the commissioner for 
  1.27  allocation to each county.  Each county must receive a 
  1.28  percentage of the account equal to the percentage its population 
  2.1   bears to the population of all counties in the state.  A county 
  2.2   may spend its allocation from the county assistance account only 
  2.3   on capital improvements to county highways.  Money from the 
  2.4   account may not pay for more than one-half of the total cost of 
  2.5   any individual capital improvement project. 
  2.6      Subd. 4.  [MUNICIPAL ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT.] Money in the 
  2.7   municipal assistance account is appropriated to the commissioner 
  2.8   for allocation to each city.  Each city must receive a 
  2.9   percentage of the account equal to the percentage its population 
  2.10  bears to the population of all cities in the state.  A city may 
  2.11  spend its allocation from the municipal assistance account only 
  2.12  on capital improvements to city streets and highways.  Money 
  2.13  from the account may not pay for more than one-half of the total 
  2.14  cost of any individual capital improvement project. 
  2.15     Subd. 5.  [TOWN ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT.] Money in the town 
  2.16  assistance account is appropriated to the commissioner for 
  2.17  allocation to each town.  Each town must receive a percentage of 
  2.18  the account equal to the percentage its population bears to the 
  2.19  population of all towns in the state.  A town may spend its 
  2.20  allocation from the town assistance account only on capital 
  2.21  improvements to and maintenance of town roads.  Money from the 
  2.22  account may not pay for more than one-half of the total cost of 
  2.23  any individual capital improvement project. 
  2.24     Subd. 6.  [RESTRICTIONS ON EXPENDITURE.] Money in the local 
  2.25  highway assistance fund may only be spent on streets and 
  2.26  highways that have been functionally classified by the 
  2.27  appropriate road authority as arterial or collector routes, 
  2.28  except in the case of a city or town that has no streets or 
  2.29  highways under its jurisdiction that have been so classified. 
  2.30     Subd. 7.  [SCREENING BOARD REVIEW.] (a) A county may not 
  2.31  spend money received from the local highway assistance fund on a 
  2.32  capital improvement project on a highway under its jurisdiction 
  2.33  that has been functionally classified as an arterial or 
  2.34  collector route unless the project has been reviewed and 
  2.35  approved by the county state-aid screening board.  
  2.36     (b) A city may not spend money received from the local 
  3.1   highway assistance fund on a capital improvement project on a 
  3.2   street or highway under its jurisdiction that has been 
  3.3   functionally classified as an arterial or collector route unless 
  3.4   the project has been reviewed and approved by the municipal 
  3.5   state-aid screening board.  
  3.6      (c) A screening board reviewing a capital improvement 
  3.7   project under this subdivision shall approve the project if it 
  3.8   finds that the project (1) supports the interregional 
  3.9   transportation system, (2) provides a significant benefit to 
  3.10  highway safety, or (3) preserves a key element of the existing 
  3.11  transportation system. 
  3.12     Subd. 8.  [EMERGENCY ACCOUNT.] Five percent of the money in 
  3.13  the local highway assistance account is appropriated to the 
  3.14  commissioner as an emergency assistance account.  The 
  3.15  commissioner shall spend money in this account as grants to 
  3.16  counties, cities, and towns for the construction, 
  3.17  reconstruction, or repair of highways and bridges under their 
  3.18  jurisdiction.  The commissioner shall prescribe procedures for 
  3.19  applying for grants from the emergency assistance account and 
  3.20  for evaluating applications.  The commissioner shall make grants 
  3.21  from the account only for highways and bridges destroyed, 
  3.22  substantially damaged, or rendered impassable as a result of a 
  3.23  natural disaster, resulting in significant disruptions to 
  3.24  regional or interregional traffic. 
  3.25     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 297B.09, 
  3.26  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  3.27     Subdivision 1.  [GENERAL FUND SHARE.] Money collected and 
  3.28  received under this chapter must be deposited as provided in 
  3.29  this subdivision.  
  3.30     (1) Thirty-two percent of the money collected and received 
  3.31  must be deposited in the highway user tax distribution fund, and 
  3.32  the remaining 68. 
  3.33     (2) Thirty percent of the money collected and received must 
  3.34  be deposited in the local highway assistance fund. 
  3.35     (3) Thirty-eight percent of the money must be deposited in 
  3.36  the general fund.  
  4.1      Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.2      Sections 1 and 2 are effective July 1, 2001.