1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to elections; changing the date of the 
  1.3             precinct caucus; amending Minnesota Statutes 2002, 
  1.4             section 202A.14, subdivision 1. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 202A.14, 
  1.7   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [TIME AND MANNER OF HOLDING; POSTPONEMENT.] 
  1.9   At 7:00 p.m. on the ~~first~~ third Tuesday in ~~March~~ February in 
  1.10  every state general election year there shall be held for every 
  1.11  election precinct a party caucus in the manner provided in 
  1.12  sections 202A.14 to 202A.19, except that in the event of severe 
  1.13  weather a major political party may request the secretary of 
  1.14  state to postpone caucuses.  If a major political party makes a 
  1.15  request, or upon the secretary of state's own initiative, after 
  1.16  consultation with all major political parties and on the advice 
  1.17  of the federal weather bureau and the department of 
  1.18  transportation, the secretary of state may declare precinct 
  1.19  caucuses to be postponed for a week in counties where weather 
  1.20  makes travel especially dangerous.  The secretary of state shall 
  1.21  submit a notice of the postponement to news media covering the 
  1.22  affected counties by 6:00 p.m. on the scheduled day of the 
  1.23  caucus.  A postponed caucus may also be postponed pursuant to 
  1.24  this subdivision.