1st Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/05/2016 08:43am
A bill for an act
relating to transportation; requiring the commissioner of transportation to
consult, develop, adopt, and publicize best practices to improve objectivity and
transparency in project selection processes; requiring a report.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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(a) The commissioner of transportation,
after consultation with the Federal Highway Administration, metropolitan planning
organizations, regional development commissions, area transportation partnerships,
local governments, the Metropolitan Council, and transportation stakeholders, shall
develop, adopt, and implement best practices for project evaluation and selection to apply
to the standard process and to special programs, such as corridors of commerce. The
commissioner must adopt and begin implementing the best practices no later than October
2017 and may update the best practices as appropriate. The commissioner shall publicize
the best practices and updates on the department's Web site and through other effective
means selected by the commissioner.
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(b) The best practices adopted under this section must include:
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(1) a description of each selection process and identification of ranking criteria and
weight of each criterion with respect to any selection process;
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(2) identification and application of all relevant criteria contained in enacted
Minnesota or federal law, or added by the commissioner;
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(3) identification to the stakeholders and general public of each candidate project
selected under each selection process, including identification of all the projects
considered that are not selected;
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(4) involvement in the process of scoring and ranking candidate projects of area
transportation partnerships and other local authorities as appropriate for the projects under
consideration; and
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(5) means of publicizing scoring, ranking, and decision outcomes concerning each
candidate project, including the projects that were considered and were not selected.
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By March 1, 2017, the commissioner shall report
to the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house of representatives
committees having jurisdiction over transportation policy and finance concerning the
adopted best practices and how these best practices are anticipated to improve the
consistency, objectivity, and transparency of the selection process. The report must
include information on input from members of the public and the organizations identified
in subdivision 1.
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This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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