1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to corrections; appropriating money for the 
  1.3             acquisition of the Prairie correctional facility; 
  1.4             providing for employees transition to state employee 
  1.5             status; authorizing the issuance of state bonds. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [APPROPRIATION; PRAIRIE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.] 
  1.8      (a) $25,000,000 is appropriated from the bond proceeds fund 
  1.9   to the commissioner of administration for the acquisition and 
  1.10  betterment of the Prairie correctional facility in the city of 
  1.11  Appleton for use as a medium security correctional facility. 
  1.12     (b) Incumbent employees who are employed at the facility 
  1.13  may request in writing during the period beginning January 1, 
  1.14  1997, and ending January 31, 1997, to transfer or demote to 
  1.15  positions which will be established based on a staffing plan 
  1.16  from the department of corrections.  These employees must be 
  1.17  determined to be qualified for such positions by the department 
  1.18  of employee relations and the department of corrections shall 
  1.19  not unreasonably deny the request.  Qualified employees will be 
  1.20  transferred or demoted into positions with the department of 
  1.21  corrections on July 1, 1997, on a probationary basis, to the 
  1.22  extent that positions are available under the terms of the 
  1.23  staffing plan.  
  1.24     Employees who are transferred or demoted to these positions 
  1.25  will be covered by the terms and conditions of the appropriate 
  2.1   state bargaining unit or plan effective July 1, 1997. 
  2.2      (c) State and classification seniority for former Prairie 
  2.3   correctional facility employees shall be calculated as provided 
  2.4   in the appropriate bargaining agreement.  Where a tie exists 
  2.5   between two or more former employees from the facility, it shall 
  2.6   be broken by using the employees' length of service at the 
  2.7   facility.  Any remaining ties shall be broken by drawing lots.  
  2.8   The department of corrections seniority roster shall reflect 
  2.9   such employees' length of service with the facility. 
  2.10     Eligibility for participation in the state's group 
  2.11  insurance program shall be determined by the terms and 
  2.12  conditions provided in the appropriate bargaining agreements. 
  2.13     (d) To provide the money appropriated by this act from the 
  2.14  bond proceeds fund, the commissioner of finance, on request of 
  2.15  the governor, shall sell and issue bonds of the state in an 
  2.16  amount up to $25,000,000 in the manner, on the terms, and with 
  2.17  the effect prescribed under Minnesota Statutes, sections 16A.631 
  2.18  to 16A.675, and under the Minnesota Constitution, article XI, 
  2.19  sections 4 to 7.