1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to natural resources; providing for disposition of receipts to the parks 
1.3 	and trails fund; establishing a grant program; appropriating money;amending 
1.4 	Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 85.53; proposing coding for new law in 
1.5 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 85.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 85.53, is amended to read:
1.8 	85.53 PARKS AND TRAILS FUND.
1.9 		Subdivision 1.Fund established; purpose. The parks and trails fund is established 
1.10 	in the Minnesota Constitution, article XI, section 15. All money earned by the parks and 
1.11 	trails fund must be credited to the fund. Money in the account may be spent only to 
1.12 	support parks and trails of regional or statewide significance. Appropriations from the 
1.13 	fund must supplement traditional sources of funding for parks and trails and may not be 
1.14 	used as a substitute.
1.15 		Subd. 2.Eligible parks and trails. Only state parks under section 85.012; 
1.16 	state trails under section 85.015; metropolitan regional parks and trails that meet the 
1.17 	requirements of section 473.147 and qualify for funding under sections 473.301 to 
1.18 	473.351; and parks and trails that meet the requirements of section 85.535 are eligible 
1.19 	to receive money from the fund.
1.20 		Subd. 3.Appropriations. Money in the parks and trails fund is annually 
1.21 	appropriated as follows:
1.22 	(1) 45 percent to the commissioner of natural resources for distribution in accordance 
1.23 	with law;
2.1 	(2) 45 percent to the Metropolitan Council for distribution according to subdivision 
2.2 	5; and
2.3 	(3) ten percent to the commissioner of natural resources for grants under section 
2.4 	85.535.
2.5 		Subd. 4.Use of funds. Money appropriated under subdivision 3 may be used:
2.6 	(1) to provide new or enhanced visitor services and access; increase conservation 
2.7 	education, interpretative services, and outdoors skills training; provide and enhance 
2.8 	community assistance and volunteer coordination; and employ survey, marketing, and 
2.9 	technology enhancements, including Web site enhancements, to target new audiences and 
2.10 	provide new opportunities to engage citizens in order to create accessibility to facilities 
2.11 	and provide personal contact to visitors and potential visitors;
2.12 	(2) to accelerate the management, restoration, and protection of natural landscapes 
2.13 	and resources;
2.14 	(3) to accelerate facility maintenance and rehabilitation; improve energy 
2.15 	conservation by providing infrastructure enhancements; upgrade or renew facilities for 
2.16 	day and overnight use; and enhance energy efficiency in existing facilities, buildings, 
2.17 	equipment, and operations; and
2.18 	(4) to acquire land and develop new facilities.
2.19 		Subd. 5.Metropolitan area distribution formula. Money appropriated under 
2.20 	subdivision 3 to the Metropolitan Council shall be distributed to implementing agencies, 
2.21 	as defined in section 473.351, subdivision 1, paragraph (a), as grants according to the 
2.22 	following formula:
2.23 	(1) 45 percent of the money must be disbursed according to the allocation formula in 
2.24 	section 473.351, subdivision 3, to each implementing agency;
2.25 	(2) 31.5 percent of the money must be distributed based on each implementing 
2.26 	agency's relative share of the most recent estimate of the population of the metropolitan 
2.27 	area;
2.28 	(3) 13.5 percent of the money must be distributed based on each implementing 
2.29 	agency's relative share of nonlocal visits based on the most recent user visitation survey 
2.30 	conducted by the Metropolitan Council; and
2.31 	(4) ten percent of the money must be distributed as grants to implementing agencies 
2.32 	for land acquisition within Metropolitan Council-approved regional parks and trails master 
2.33 	plan boundaries under the council's park acquisition opportunity grant program. The 
2.34 	Metropolitan Council must provide a match of $2 of the council's park bonds for every $3 
2.35 	of state funds for the park acquisition opportunity grant program.
3.1 		Subd. 6.Signage. Recipients of money from the parks and trails fund must develop 
3.2 	and use appropriate signage and notices to the public that activities or projects funded 
3.3 	under this section are the results of the clean water, land, and legacy amendment to the 
3.4 	Minnesota Constitution adopted by the voters in November 2008.
3.5 		Subd. 7.Report required. The commissioner of natural resources and the chair of 
3.6 	the Metropolitan Council, with data provided by implementing agencies as defined under 
3.7 	section 473.351, subdivision 1, paragraph (a), must submit a report on the expenditure 
3.8 	and use of money appropriated under subdivision 3 to the legislature by March 1 of each 
3.9 	year. The report must relate the expenditure of money by the categories established under 
3.10 	subdivision 4 and must detail the outcomes in terms of additional use of park or trail 
3.11 	resources, user satisfaction surveys, and other appropriate measurable outcomes.

3.12 	Sec. 2. [85.535] PARKS AND TRAILS LEGACY GRANT PROGRAM.
3.13 		Subdivision 1.Program established. The commissioner of natural resources shall 
3.14 	administer a program to provide grants from the parks and trails fund to units of local 
3.15 	government throughout Minnesota for acquisition of and improvements to public lands to 
3.16 	support parks and trails of regional or statewide significance.
3.17 		Subd. 2.Statewide or regional significance; eligibility requirements. (a) For a 
3.18 	park or trail to be considered of statewide or regional significance under this section, at 
3.19 	least 30 percent of the park or trail user visits in a calendar year must be users who do 
3.20 	not live in the corporate area of the governmental unit that has the financial and legal 
3.21 	responsibility to own, operate, and maintain the park or trail and the total usage of the 
3.22 	park or trail must exceed 30,000 visitors in a one-year period. Park or trail user visitorship 
3.23 	can be demonstrated by validated survey methods, actual user data statistics, or another 
3.24 	objective and quantifiable measure that is accurate and reliable.
3.25 	(b) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a park must be composed of at least 
3.26 	100 acres of contiguous land or be of such special and unique character and importance 
3.27 	that the site is of unquestionable state and regional significance. In the case of a proposed 
3.28 	acquisition of a new park facility, the grant applicant must conclusively demonstrate that 
3.29 	the park, once acquired and developed, will meet the criteria of this subdivision.
3.30 	(c) To be eligible for a grant under this section, an applicant for a trail grant must 
3.31 	demonstrate that the trail connects or will connect to existing state or metropolitan trails.
3.32 	(d) Upon receipt and verification of the user data and the required land acreage or 
3.33 	trail connectivity information presented by the applicant, the commissioner shall issue 
3.34 	a finding and determination that a park or trail is of statewide or regional significance, 
4.1 	publish the finding and determination in the State Register, and report the same to the 
4.2 	legislature by January 15 of each year.
4.3 		Subd. 3.Matching requirements. Recipients of grants under subdivision 1 
4.4 	must provide a nonstate match of at least 25 percent of total eligible project costs. The 
4.5 	commissioner shall make payment to a grant recipient upon receiving documentation 
4.6 	of reimbursable matching expenditures.
4.7 		Subd. 4.Administration. The commissioner may use up to two and one-half 
4.8 	percent of the money appropriated under section 85.53, subdivision 3, clause (3), for 
4.9 	administration of grants, including expenses related to gathering public input for grant 
4.10 	criteria and priorities. Each grant recipient shall submit a report to the commissioner on the 
4.11 	expenditure of money received under this section. The report shall be in a form prescribed 
4.12 	by the commissioner and must detail outcomes in terms of additional use of park or trail 
4.13 	resources, user satisfaction surveys, and other appropriate measurable outcomes.
4.14 		Subd. 5.Equitable distribution. The commissioner shall award grants under this 
4.15 	section equitably and fairly throughout all areas of the state. The commissioner shall 
4.16 	report to the legislature annually on the grants made under this section and their equitable 
4.17 	distribution.

4.18 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATIONS.
 4.19 	(a) $....... in fiscal year 2010 and $....... in fiscal year 2011 are appropriated from the 
4.20 	parks and trails fund to the commissioner of natural resources for the purposes specified in 
4.21 	Minnesota Statutes, section 85.53, subdivision 4.
4.22 	(b) $....... in fiscal year 2010 and $....... in fiscal year 2011 are appropriated from 
4.23 	the parks and trails fund to the Metropolitan Council for purposes of Minnesota Statutes, 
4.24 	section 85.53, subdivision 4.
4.25 	(c) $....... in fiscal year 2010 and $...... in fiscal year 2011 are appropriated from the 
4.26 	parks and trails fund to the commissioner of natural resources for purposes of Minnesota 
4.27 	Statutes, section 85.535.

4.28 	Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 4.29 	Sections 1 and 2 are effective July 1, 2009, and expire June 30, 2012.