Minnesota Session Laws - 2007, Regular Session

CHAPTER 6--S.F.No. 736

An act

relating to local government; renaming the Metropolitan Intercounty Association;

amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 353.01, subdivision 6; 383D.48; 471.61, subdivision 1.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 353.01, subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

Governmental subdivision.

(a) "Governmental subdivision" means a county, city, town, school district within this state, or a department or unit of state government, or any public body whose revenues are derived from taxation, fees, assessments or from other sources.

(b) Governmental subdivision also means the Public Employees Retirement Association, the League of Minnesota Cities, the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, public hospitals owned or operated by, or an integral part of, a governmental subdivision or governmental subdivisions, the Association of Minnesota Counties, the deleted text begin Metropolitan Intercounty deleted text end new text begin Minnesota new text end new text begin Inter-county new text end Association, the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association, the Metropolitan Airports Commission, the University of Minnesota with respect to police officers covered by the public employees police and fire retirement plan, the Minneapolis Employees Retirement Fund for employment initially commenced after June 30, 1979, the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools, soil and water conservation districts, economic development authorities created or operating under sections 469.090 to 469.108, the Port Authority of the city of St. Paul, the Spring Lake Park Fire Department, incorporated, the Lake Johanna Volunteer Fire Department, incorporated, the Red Wing Environmental Learning Center, the Dakota County Agricultural Society, and Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc.

(c) Governmental subdivision does not mean any municipal housing and redevelopment authority organized under the provisions of sections 469.001 to 469.047; or any port authority organized under sections 469.048 to 469.089 other than the Port Authority of the city of St. Paul; or any hospital district organized or reorganized prior to July 1, 1975, under sections 447.31 to 447.37 or the successor of the district, nor the Minneapolis Community Development Agency.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 383D.48, is amended to read:

383D.48 deleted text begin METROPOLITAN deleted text end new text begin MINNESOTA new text end INTER-COUNTY ASSOCIATION.

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, Dakota county may provide financial and accounting services, including payroll management and records, to the deleted text begin Metropolitan deleted text end new text begin Minnesota new text end Inter-county Association. Notwithstanding this section, deleted text begin Metropolitan deleted text end new text begin Minnesota new text end Inter-county Association employees are not county employees for any purpose.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 471.61, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Officers, employees.

A county, municipal corporation, town, school district, county extension committee, other political subdivision or other body corporate and politic of this state, other than the state or any department of the state, through its governing body, and any two or more subdivisions acting jointly through their governing bodies, may insure or protect its or their officers and employees, and their dependents, or any class or classes of officers, employees, or dependents, under a policy or policies or contract or contracts of group insurance or benefits covering life, health, and accident, in the case of employees, and medical and surgical benefits and hospitalization insurance or benefits for both employees and dependents or dependents of an employee whose death was due to causes arising out of and in the course of employment, or any one or more of those forms of insurance or protection. A governmental unit, including county extension committees and those paying their employees, may pay all or any part of the premiums or charges on the insurance or protection. A payment is deemed to be additional compensation paid to the officers or employees, but for purposes of determining contributions or benefits under a public pension or retirement system it is not deemed to be additional compensation. One or more governmental units may determine that a person is an officer or employee if the person receives income from the governmental subdivisions without regard to the manner of election or appointment, including but not limited to employees of county historical societies that receive funding from the county and employees of the deleted text begin metropolitan intercounty deleted text end new text begin Minnesota Inter-county new text end Association. The appropriate officer of the governmental unit, or those disbursing county extension funds, shall deduct from the salary or wages of each officer and employee who elects to become insured or so protected, on the officer's or employee's written order, all or part of the officer's or employee's share of premiums or charges and remit the share or portion to the insurer or company issuing the policy or contract.

A governmental unit, other than a school district, that pays all or part of the premiums or charges is authorized to levy and collect a tax, if necessary, in the next annual tax levy for the purpose of providing the necessary money for the payment of the premiums or charges, and the sums levied and appropriated are not, in the event the sum exceeds the maximum sum allowed by the charter of a municipal corporation, considered part of the cost of government of the governmental unit as defined in any levy or expenditure limitation; provided at least 50 percent of the cost of benefits on dependents must be contributed by the employee or be paid by levies within existing charter tax limitations.

The word "dependents" as used in this subdivision means spouse and minor unmarried children under the age of 18 years actually dependent upon the employee.

Sec. 4.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin Sections 1 to 3 are effective the day following final enactment. new text end

Presented to the governor March 19, 2007

Signed by the governor March 21, 2007, 9:51 a.m.