Minnesota Session Laws - 2003, Regular Session

                             CHAPTER 59-H.F.No. 944 
                  An act relating to local government; providing an 
                  exception to the priorities for designating a 
                  qualified newspaper; amending Minnesota Statutes 2002, 
                  section 331A.04, by adding a subdivision. 
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
           Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 331A.04, is 
        amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
           Subd. 6.  [EXCEPTION TO DESIGNATION PRIORITY.] (a) 
        Notwithstanding subdivisions 1 to 3, the governing body of a 
        local public corporation may designate any newspaper for 
        publication of its official proceedings and public notices, if 
        the following conditions are met: 
           (1) the newspaper is a qualified medium of official and 
        legal publication; 
           (2) the publisher of the newspaper furnishes a sworn 
        statement, verified by a recognized independent circulation 
        auditing agency, covering a period of at least one year ending 
        no earlier than 60 days before designation of the newspaper, 
        stating that the newspaper's circulation reaches not fewer than 
        75 percent of the households within the public corporation; 
           (3) the newspaper has provided regular coverage of the 
        proceedings of the governing body of the local public 
        corporation and will continue to do so; and 
           (4) the governing body votes unanimously to designate the 
        newspaper. 
           (b) If the circulation of a newspaper designated under this 
        subdivision falls below 75 percent of the households within the 
        public local corporation at any time within the term of its 
        designation as official newspaper, its qualification to publish 
        public notices for the local public corporation terminates. 
           Presented to the governor May 15, 2003 
           Signed by the governor May 19, 2003, 11:20 a.m.