1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to highways; providing for development and 
  1.3             implementation of a ten-ton system of county and 
  1.4             county state-aid highways; authorizing state bonds; 
  1.5             appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.6             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 174. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [174.53] [TEN-TON COUNTY HIGHWAY SYSTEM.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [DEVELOPMENT OF PLAN.] The commissioner of 
  1.10  transportation shall develop a plan for a statewide system of 
  1.11  ten-ton county and county state-aid highways to, in order of 
  1.12  priority: 
  1.13     (1) support the commissioner's interregional corridor 
  1.14  system; 
  1.15     (2) provide greater efficiencies for forestry, agriculture, 
  1.16  and other industries in transporting their products to market; 
  1.17  and 
  1.18     (3) provide new and existing manufacturing industries with 
  1.19  new growth opportunities. 
  1.20     Subd. 2.  [CRITERIA; PROCEDURES.] The commissioner shall 
  1.21  make grants to counties for the construction, reconstruction, 
  1.22  and improvement of county and county state-aid highways and 
  1.23  bridges to enable them to carry safely gross vehicle axle 
  1.24  weights of at least 20,000 pounds and thereby implement the 
  1.25  ten-ton highway plan.  In consultation with the Association of 
  1.26  Minnesota Counties, the commissioner shall establish procedures 
  2.1   for counties to apply for grants from the fund and criteria to 
  2.2   be used to select projects for funding.  The criteria must 
  2.3   reflect the priorities set out in subdivision 1 and provide for 
  2.4   the evaluation of each grant application based on its 
  2.5   effectiveness in meeting one or more of those priorities. 
  2.6      Sec. 2.  [BOND SALE.] 
  2.7      To provide the money appropriated by section 1, from the 
  2.8   bond proceeds fund, the commissioner of finance shall sell and 
  2.9   issue bonds of the state in an amount up to $830,000,000 in the 
  2.10  manner, on the terms, and with the effect prescribed by 
  2.11  Minnesota Statutes, sections 16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the 
  2.12  Minnesota Constitution, article XI, sections 4 to 7. 
  2.13     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  2.14     $83,000,000 is appropriated from the bond proceeds fund to 
  2.15  the commissioner of transportation for each of fiscal years 2005 
  2.16  through 2014.  The commissioner shall spend these appropriations 
  2.17  as grants to counties for the ten-ton county and county 
  2.18  state-aid highway program under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.19  174.53. 
  2.20     Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.21     Sections 1 to 3 are effective July 1, 2004.