1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to Hennepin county; providing for payment of 
  1.3             county obligations by electronic transfer or credit 
  1.4             card; providing for a report to the legislature; 
  1.5             providing a sunset; amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, 
  1.6             section 383B.116, subdivision 2, and by adding a 
  1.7             subdivision; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.8             Statutes, chapter 383B. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 383B.116, 
  1.11  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.12     Subd. 2.  [PAYMENT BY WARRANT METHODS.] Payments of claims 
  1.13  and obligations of the county shall may be made by warrant, 
  1.14  check, or all forms of electronic or wire funds transfer.  
  1.15  Section 471.38 does not apply to any claim for which payment is 
  1.16  made by electronic or wire funds transfer.  Where the county is 
  1.17  authorized by law to make investments, persons designated by the 
  1.18  board may, in accordance with rules and procedures established 
  1.19  by the administrator, the county may make electronic or wire 
  1.20  transfers of funds notwithstanding any other law to the contrary.
  1.21     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 383B.116, is 
  1.22  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.23     Subd. 6.  [AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD OR 
  1.24  OTHER METHODS.] The county may accept payment by use of a credit 
  1.25  card, debit card, or all forms of electronic or wire funds 
  1.26  transfer.  Subject to any other law to the contrary, the county 
  1.27  may add to the amount due a service charge for the acceptance of 
  2.1   a payment method authorized in this subdivision.  The amount of 
  2.2   the service charge may not exceed the amount of any fee or 
  2.3   charge the county must pay to a financial institution acting as 
  2.4   an intermediary for the transaction.  The county shall adopt 
  2.5   policies and procedures regarding the payments including a 
  2.6   policy for disclosure to the payor of any charges or fees the 
  2.7   county will impose for the use of the credit card.  
  2.8      Sec. 3.  [383B.1161] [ELECTRONIC APPROVALS.] 
  2.9      "Electronic approval" means any electronic identifier 
  2.10  intended by the person making, executing, or adopting it to 
  2.11  authenticate and validate a county administrative action.  
  2.12  Notwithstanding any other general or special law to the 
  2.13  contrary, the county may use electronic approvals.  The 
  2.14  electronic approval has the same validity and consequences as 
  2.15  the actual signing by the person.  The county shall establish 
  2.16  policies and procedures to ensure the validity of electronic 
  2.17  approvals.  
  2.18     Sec. 4.  [383B.1162] [CREDIT CARDS.] 
  2.19     The county may allow officials, officers, and employees of 
  2.20  the county to incur charges for county purposes by use of county 
  2.21  credit cards.  The county shall adopt policies and procedures 
  2.22  regarding such credit card usage to establish individual 
  2.23  accountability. 
  2.24     Sec. 5.  [REPORT.] 
  2.25     The Hennepin county board will report to the legislature by 
  2.26  February 1, 2002, on the practice of payment of county charges 
  2.27  by the use of a credit card to include the number and purchase 
  2.28  of payments made by credit card, a cost benefit analysis of the 
  2.29  acceptance of credit card payments, and recommendations on 
  2.30  whether the use of credit cards for the payment of county 
  2.31  charges shall be made permanent. 
  2.32     Sec. 6.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.33     This act is effective the day following its final enactment.
  2.34  Section 2 is repealed on June 30, 2002.