SF 743

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; creating a matching-grant pilot program to assist
communities in providing safe transportation for intoxicated persons; requiring
a report; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 169A.

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

Section 1.

new text begin [169A.741] SAFE CABS PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin (a) The terms used in this section have the meanings
given them in this subdivision.
new text end

new text begin (b) "Eligible community" means any political subdivision of the state or regional
unit of government within the state that has established a program to provide taxi or
other comparable transportation services for the purpose of safely transporting eligible
individuals home.
new text end

new text begin (c) "Eligible individual" means a person who has been consuming alcohol in an
alcohol-serving establishment, whom the server believes to be too alcohol impaired at
the time of leaving the establishment to drive home safely.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Programs established. new text end

new text begin (a) In cooperation with the Minnesotaa??s Tenth
Judicial District and Isanti County, the commissioner of public safety shall establish a pilot
program to expend an annual appropriation by making matching grants to the principal
governing authority in each selected eligible community for the purpose of providing taxi
service to safely transport eligible individuals home from alcohol-serving establishments
within the community or surrounding area. The program must have procedures for
soliciting grant applications from all eligible communities in Minnesota, and for ensuring
that the grants will be widely and geographically distributed throughout the state. Each
application must specify the expected proportion of funding to be derived from the state
grant, local governmental sources, participating alcohol-serving establishments, eligible
individuals, and any other source.
new text end

new text begin (b) For any participating eligible community in any year, the state grant may
comprise no more than one-third of the full operating cost of the program. Funding from
local governmental and nongovernmental sources must comprise at least two-thirds of the
full operating cost of the program. Funding from all governmental sources combined must
not exceed funding from participating eligible individuals, participating alcohol-serving
establishments, and other nongovernmental sources combined. This section is not
intended to limit in any way the proportion or amount of program funding from either
eligible individuals or participating alcohol-serving establishments.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Report required. new text end

new text begin By January 1, 2009, the commissioner of public safety
shall report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives
and senate committees and divisions having jurisdiction over criminal justice policy and
funding regarding implementation and use of the program and distribution of the state
funding. The report must include at least information on:
new text end

new text begin (1) the number and proportion of participating alcohol-serving establishments in
each participating eligible community, and the proportion and amount of funding each
contributes to the program;
new text end

new text begin (2) the number of taxi rides provided under the program within each community
and the average cost and cost range for those rides; and
new text end

new text begin (3) a breakdown by funding source of the cost sharing within each participating
eligible community.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $100,000 in fiscal year 2008 and $100,000 in fiscal year 2009 are appropriated
from the general fund to the commissioner of public safety for the purpose of making
grants to eligible communities in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 169A.741,
and preparing the report required under that section. Any amount of the appropriation
remaining from fiscal year 2008 does not expire and is available for use in fiscal year 2009.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE.
new text end

new text begin Sections 1 and 2 are effective July 1, 2007.
new text end