1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; prohibiting transfer of 
  1.3             county state-aid funds to revolving loan account until 
  1.4             increase in certain tax rates; authorizing issuance of 
  1.5             state transportation bonds; appropriating money; 
  1.6             amending Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement, section 
  1.7             162.06, subdivision 6; Laws 1997, chapter 141, section 
  1.8             11. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement, section 
  1.11  162.06, subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  1.12     Subd. 6.  [COUNTY STATE-AID HIGHWAY REVOLVING LOAN 
  1.13  ACCOUNT.] A county state-aid highway revolving loan account is 
  1.14  created in the county state-aid highway fund.  The commissioner 
  1.15  may transfer to the account the amount allocated under section 
  1.16  162.065, but the commissioner may not make such a transfer until 
  1.17  six months after the effective date of an increase in the 
  1.18  gasoline excise tax rate or the vehicle registration tax rates 
  1.19  in effect on July 1, 1998.  Money in the account may be used to 
  1.20  make loans.  Funds in the county state-aid highway revolving 
  1.21  loan account may be used only for aid in the construction, 
  1.22  improvement, and maintenance of county state-aid highways.  
  1.23  Funds in the account may not be used for any toll facilities 
  1.24  project or congestion-pricing project.  Repayments and interest 
  1.25  from loans from the county state-aid highway revolving loan 
  1.26  account must be credited to that account.  Money in the account 
  1.27  is annually appropriated to the commissioner and does not 
  2.1   lapse.  Interest earned from investment of money in this account 
  2.2   must be deposited in the county state-aid highway revolving loan 
  2.3   account. 
  2.4      Sec. 2.  Laws 1997, chapter 141, section 11, is amended to 
  2.5   read: 
  2.6      Sec. 11.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.7      ~~(a)~~ Sections 1, 8, and 9 are effective July 1, 1997.  
  2.8   Section 2 is effective July 1, 1998.  Sections ~~2~~ 3 to 7 are 
  2.9   effective six months after the effective date of an increase in 
  2.10  the gasoline excise tax rate or vehicle registration tax rates.  
  2.11  Section 10, subdivisions 1 to 11, are effective July 1, 1997.  
  2.12  Section 10, subdivisions 12 to 14, are effective the day 
  2.13  following final enactment. 
  2.14     ~~(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), no provision of sections~~ 
  2.15  ~~1 to 10 may take effect until Minnesota has been notified by the~~ 
  2.16  ~~United States Department of Transportation that it will be~~ 
  2.17  ~~receiving a specific sum in federal funds that has been~~ 
  2.18  ~~designated specifically for a state infrastructure bank.~~ 
  2.19     Sec. 3.  [STATE TRANSPORTATION BONDS.] 
  2.20     Subdivision 1.  [LOCAL BRIDGES.] $34,000,000 is 
  2.21  appropriated from the state transportation fund to the 
  2.22  commissioner of transportation to be spent as grants to 
  2.23  political subdivisions for replacement or rehabilitation of 
  2.24  bridges under Minnesota Statutes, section 174.50, subdivisions 4 
  2.25  to 7.  Political subdivisions may spend grants under this 
  2.26  section to construct or reconstruct bridges, including: 
  2.27     (1) matching federal-aid grants to construct or reconstruct 
  2.28  bridges; 
  2.29     (2) paying costs of preliminary engineering and 
  2.30  environmental studies authorized under Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.31  section 174.50, subdivision 6a; 
  2.32     (3) paying the costs of abandoning an existing bridge that 
  2.33  is deficient and in need of replacement, but where no 
  2.34  replacement will be made; and 
  2.35     (4) paying the costs of constructing a road, street, or 
  2.36  highway to facilitate the abandonment of an existing bridge the 
  3.1   commissioner determines is deficient, if the commissioner 
  3.2   determines that construction of the road, street, or highway is 
  3.3   more cost efficient than replacing the original bridge. 
  3.4      Subd. 2.  [TRANSITWAYS.] $106,000,000 is appropriated to 
  3.5   the commissioner of transportation from the state transportation 
  3.6   fund as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 174.50, to match 
  3.7   federal and local funding for the planning, design, engineering, 
  3.8   and construction of transitways in the metropolitan area.  Of 
  3.9   this amount, $100,000,000 is for the preliminary engineering, 
  3.10  final design, and construction of light rail transit in the 
  3.11  Hiawatha Avenue corridor from downtown Minneapolis to 
  3.12  Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of 
  3.13  America.  The remaining funds shall be distributed as grants to 
  3.14  appropriate county regional rail authorities as follows: 
  3.15     (1) $3,000,000 to match federal funding for a major 
  3.16  investment study, engineering, and implementation in the 
  3.17  Riverview corridor between the east side of St. Paul and the 
  3.18  Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of 
  3.19  America; 
  3.20     (2) $1,500,000 to match federal funding for a major 
  3.21  investment study, engineering, and implementation in the 
  3.22  Northstar corridor linking downtown Minneapolis to the St. Cloud 
  3.23  area; 
  3.24     (3) $500,000 to study potential transit improvements and 
  3.25  engineering studies in the Cedar Avenue corridor to link the 
  3.26  Hiawatha, Riverview, and Northstar transit corridors with Dakota 
  3.27  county; 
  3.28     (4) $500,000 to develop engineering documents for the 
  3.29  Northwest corridor commuter rail line from downtown Minneapolis 
  3.30  to the Northwest suburbs of Hennepin county; and 
  3.31     (5) $500,000 to develop engineering documents for a 
  3.32  commuter rail line from downtown St. Paul through southern 
  3.33  Washington county to Hastings. 
  3.34     Subd. 3.  [METROPOLITAN TRANSIT CAPITAL 
  3.35  ASSISTANCE.] $32,500,000 is appropriated to the metropolitan 
  3.36  council from the state transportation fund as provided in 
  4.1   Minnesota Statutes, section 174.50, for transit capital projects 
  4.2   in the metropolitan area.  The funds shall be used as follows: 
  4.3      (1) $16,000,000 is for bus purchases, transit stations, 
  4.4   metered ramp bypasses, and other capital improvements; 
  4.5      (2) $12,000,000 is to build a transit garage in the east 
  4.6   metropolitan area to replace the existing Snelling Avenue bus 
  4.7   facility; and 
  4.8      (3) $4,500,000 is to upgrade the council's transit 
  4.9   communications and control facility. 
  4.10     Subd. 4.  [GREATER MINNESOTA TRANSIT CAPITAL 
  4.11  ASSISTANCE.] $4,000,000 is appropriated to the commissioner of 
  4.12  transportation from the state transportation fund as provided in 
  4.13  Minnesota Statutes, section 174.50, for grants to counties 
  4.14  outside the metropolitan area for transit capital assistance, 
  4.15  including bus purchases and other capital improvements. 
  4.16     Subd. 5.  [BOND SALE AUTHORIZATION.] To provide the money 
  4.17  appropriated in this section from the state transportation fund, 
  4.18  the commissioner of finance, on request of the governor, shall 
  4.19  sell and issue general obligation bonds of the state in an 
  4.20  amount of $176,500,000 in the manner, upon the terms, and with 
  4.21  the effect prescribed by Minnesota Statutes, sections 16A.631 to 
  4.22  16A.675, and by the Minnesota Constitution, article XI, sections 
  4.23  4 to 7.  The proceeds of the bonds, except accrued interest and 
  4.24  any premium received on the sale of the bonds, must be credited 
  4.25  to a bond proceeds account in the state transportation fund. 
  4.26     Sec. 4.  [GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  4.27     Subdivision 1.  [COUNTY TURNBACK ACCOUNT.] $50,000,000 is 
  4.28  appropriated from the general fund for transfer to the county 
  4.29  turnback account in the county state-aid highway fund. 
  4.30     Subd. 2.  [TRANSPORTATION REVOLVING LOAN FUND.] $5,000,000 
  4.31  is appropriated from the general fund for transfer to the 
  4.32  transportation revolving loan fund established in Minnesota 
  4.33  Statutes, section 446A.085, subdivision 3. 
  4.34     Subd. 3.  [COUNTY STATE-AID REVOLVING LOAN 
  4.35  ACCOUNT.] $2,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund for 
  4.36  transfer to the county state-aid revolving loan account 
  5.1   established in Minnesota Statutes, section 162.06, subdivision 6.
  5.2      Subd. 4.  [ACCESS TO JOBS AND TRAINING; GREATER 
  5.3   MINNESOTA.] $2,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to 
  5.4   the commissioner of transportation for the Access to Jobs and 
  5.5   Training in Greater Minnesota program established in Laws 1997, 
  5.6   chapter 159, article 1, section 2, subdivision 3, paragraph (c). 
  5.7      Subd. 5.  [ACCESS TO JOBS AND TRAINING; METROPOLITAN 
  5.8   AREA.] $4,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  5.9   metropolitan council for the Access to Jobs and Training program 
  5.10  established in Laws 1997, chapter 159, article 1, section 3, 
  5.11  subdivision 1. 
  5.12     Sec. 5.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  5.13     This act is effective July 1, 1998.