Minnesota Session Laws - 1991, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1991 

                        CHAPTER 348-H.F.No. 222 
 [At the time of publication, the question of whether this 
chapter is law was under consideration by Minnesota courts.] 
           An act relating to international trade; establishing a 
          regional international trade service center pilot 
          project; appropriating money for the project and for 
          the Red River trade corridor project. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  [REGIONAL INTERNATIONAL TRADE SERVICE CENTER; 
PILOT PROJECT.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A regional international 
trade service center pilot project is established to provide 
assistance in the area of international trade to businesses in 
the state.  The pilot project shall terminate June 30, 1993.  
Overall administration of the center shall be provided by the 
board of directors of the Minnesota World Trade Center 
Corporation.  The commissioner of trade and economic development 
shall ensure that no service provided under this section 
duplicates a service provided under other law. 
    Subd. 2.  [DUTIES.] The regional international trade 
service center shall have at least the following duties: 
    (1) to provide timely personalized assistance to businesses 
exporting or planning to export goods and services and to 
concentrate on providing direct assistance at the place of 
business; 
    (2) to establish and maintain access to a current library 
and resource center containing material relating to 
international trade and trade lead information; 
    (3) to establish contractual relationships with the Greater 
Minnesota Corporation small business development centers; the 
Minnesota trade office; and public higher education 
institutions, their foreign-based campuses, and affiliates, for 
referrals between these entities and the regional center for 
technical assistance; 
    (4) to enter into a formal agreement with the National 
Association of Small Business International Trade Educators as a 
state chapter, thus accessing a national pool of small business 
international trade expertise; 
    (5) to enter into a formal agreement with the department of 
trade and economic development that designates the regional 
center as a field office of the Minnesota trade office; 
    (6) to provide a calendar of regularly scheduled trade 
workshops and seminars for regional businesses and establish and 
act as regional recruiters for a privately funded International 
Education Academy, in cooperation with the Minnesota trade 
office, the United States Department of Commerce, small business 
development centers, the Small Business Administration, and 
public higher education institutions; 
    (7) to conduct annual regional surveys of the international 
trade service requirements of all existing exporters in the 
region, to perform a needs assessment of new-to-export companies 
that are beginning to export or participate in an international 
trade program, to research regional product and service firms 
that have export potential and to contact and contract with them 
for service programs, and to contract with each of the entities 
in this clause for an annual program; 
    (8) to design with available local, state, and federal 
service providers a computer-based service menu and annual 
service program for each client; 
    (9) to organize and conduct six regional trade workshops 
each year to provide international trade and export education 
and participate in other trade workshops; 
    (10) to recruit businesses and economic development 
professionals in the region for the full schedule of United 
States Department of Commerce foreign trade missions, catalog 
shows, and foreign international trade fairs; 
    (11) to establish direct FAX communication links for 
business communication with United States Department of Commerce 
overseas posts in 154 countries; 
    (12) to act as the "hot line" regional export information 
center for regional businesses, higher educational institutions, 
and economic development offices, small business development 
commissions, and chambers of commerce; 
    (13) to create partnerships with regional higher education 
institutions to expand international business, trade, and world 
cultural curriculum; and 
    (14) to follow up on an individual basis on trade leads.  
    Subd. 3.  [STAFF.] The center shall have a professional 
staff that is experienced in providing expert international 
trade assistance to small businesses with prior experience in 
the private sector in exporting goods and services. 
    Subd. 4.  [MATCHING FUNDS.] The center must seek matching 
money from federal, state, and local public and private sources. 
    Subd. 5.  [CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES.] The department of trade 
and economic development shall solicit proposals from vendors 
who are qualified to provide services required by this section 
and contract with a qualified vendor after thorough examination 
of the proposals. 
    Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
    (a) $50,000 is appropriated from the general fund for the 
biennium ending June 30, 1993, to the Minnesota World Trade 
Center Corporation board of directors for the purposes of 
section 1.  No funds shall be released for the purposes of 
section 1 until the commissioner of trade and economic 
development has reviewed the services and determined that they 
do not duplicate other state services. 
    (b) $50,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
regents of the University of Minnesota for the fiscal year 
ending June 30, 1992, to make a grant to the Red River trade 
corridor project. 
    Presented to the governor May 31, 1991 
    Filed with the secretary of state June 10, 1991