1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; authorizing a school district 
  1.3             operating referendum to be conducted at the same time 
  1.4             as a bond election; amending Minnesota Statutes 1994, 
  1.5             section 124A.03, subdivision 2b. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 124A.03, 
  1.8   subdivision 2b, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 2b.  [REFERENDUM DATE.] In addition to the referenda 
  1.10  allowed in subdivision 2, clause (a), the commissioner may 
  1.11  authorize a referendum for a different day.  
  1.12     (a) The commissioner may grant authority to a district to 
  1.13  hold a referendum on a different day if the district is in 
  1.14  statutory operating debt and has an approved plan or has 
  1.15  received an extension from the department to file a plan to 
  1.16  eliminate the statutory operating debt.  
  1.17     (b) The commissioner may grant authority for a district to 
  1.18  hold a referendum on a different day if:  (i) the district 
  1.19  intends to conduct a bond election under chapter 475 on that 
  1.20  same day; and (ii) the proceeds of the referendum are intended 
  1.21  to provide additional operating revenue necessitated by the 
  1.22  facility for which bonding authority is sought. 
  1.23     (c) The commissioner must approve, deny, or modify each 
  1.24  district's request for a referendum levy on a different day 
  1.25  within 60 days of receiving the request from a district. 
  2.1      Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.2      Section 1 is effective July 1, 1996.