1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to economic development; permitting the 
  1.3             department of economic development to receive 
  1.4             donations for economic development training; amending 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes 1994, sections 10A.071, subdivision 
  1.6             3; and 471.895, subdivision 3; Minnesota Statutes 1995 
  1.7             Supplement, section 116J.58, subdivision 1. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 10A.071, 
  1.10  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 3.  [EXCEPTIONS.] (a) The prohibitions in this 
  1.12  section do not apply if the gift is: 
  1.13     (1) a contribution as defined in section 10A.01, 
  1.14  subdivision 7; 
  1.15     (2) services to assist an official in the performance of 
  1.16  official duties, including but not limited to attending 
  1.17  conferences or seminars described in section 116J.58, 
  1.18  subdivision 1, clause (19), and providing advice, consultation, 
  1.19  information, and communication in connection with legislation, 
  1.20  and services to constituents; 
  1.21     (3) services of insignificant monetary value; 
  1.22     (4) a plaque or similar memento recognizing individual 
  1.23  services in a field of specialty or to a charitable cause; 
  1.24     (5) a trinket or memento of insignificant value; 
  1.25     (6) informational material of unexceptional value; or 
  1.26     (7) food or a beverage given at a reception, meal, or 
  2.1   meeting away from the recipient's place of work by an 
  2.2   organization before whom the recipient appears to make a speech 
  2.3   or answer questions as part of a program. 
  2.4      (b) The prohibitions in this section do not apply if the 
  2.5   gift is given: 
  2.6      (1) because of the recipient's membership in a group, a 
  2.7   majority of whose members are not officials, and an equivalent 
  2.8   gift is given to the other members of the group; or 
  2.9      (2) by a lobbyist or principal who is a member of the 
  2.10  family of the recipient, unless the gift is given on behalf of 
  2.11  someone who is not a member of that family. 
  2.12     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1995 Supplement, section 
  2.13  116J.58, subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  2.14     Subdivision 1.  [ENUMERATION.] The commissioner shall: 
  2.15     (1) investigate, study, and undertake ways and means of 
  2.16  promoting and encouraging the prosperous development and 
  2.17  protection of the legitimate interest and welfare of Minnesota 
  2.18  business, industry, and commerce, within and outside the state; 
  2.19     (2) locate markets for manufacturers and processors and aid 
  2.20  merchants in locating and contacting markets; 
  2.21     (3) investigate and study conditions affecting Minnesota 
  2.22  business, industry, and commerce and collect and disseminate 
  2.23  information, and engage in technical studies, scientific 
  2.24  investigations, and statistical research and educational 
  2.25  activities necessary or useful for the proper execution of the 
  2.26  powers and duties of the commissioner in promoting and 
  2.27  developing Minnesota business, industry, and commerce, both 
  2.28  within and outside the state; 
  2.29     (4) plan and develop an effective business information 
  2.30  service both for the direct assistance of business and industry 
  2.31  of the state and for the encouragement of business and industry 
  2.32  outside the state to use economic facilities within the state; 
  2.33     (5) compile, collect, and develop periodically, or 
  2.34  otherwise make available, information relating to current 
  2.35  business conditions; 
  2.36     (6) conduct or encourage research designed to further new 
  3.1   and more extensive uses of the natural and other resources of 
  3.2   the state and designed to develop new products and industrial 
  3.3   processes; 
  3.4      (7) study trends and developments in the industries of the 
  3.5   state and analyze the reasons underlying the trends; study costs 
  3.6   and other factors affecting successful operation of businesses 
  3.7   within the state; and make recommendations regarding 
  3.8   circumstances promoting or hampering business and industrial 
  3.9   development; 
  3.10     (8) serve as a clearing house for business and industrial 
  3.11  problems of the state; and advise small business enterprises 
  3.12  regarding improved methods of accounting and bookkeeping; 
  3.13     (9) cooperate with interstate commissions engaged in 
  3.14  formulating and promoting the adoption of interstate compacts 
  3.15  and agreements helpful to business, industry, and commerce; 
  3.16     (10) cooperate with other state departments, and with 
  3.17  boards, commissions, and other state agencies, in the 
  3.18  preparation and coordination of plans and policies for the 
  3.19  development of the state and for the use and conservation of its 
  3.20  resources insofar as the use, conservation, and development may 
  3.21  be appropriately directed or influenced by a state agency; 
  3.22     (11) assemble and coordinate information relative to the 
  3.23  status, scope, cost, and employment possibilities and the 
  3.24  availability of materials, equipment, and labor in connection 
  3.25  with public works projects, state, county, and municipal; 
  3.26  recommend limitations on the public works; gather current 
  3.27  progress information with reference to public and private works 
  3.28  projects of the state and its political subdivisions with 
  3.29  reference to conditions of employment; inquire into and report 
  3.30  to the governor, when requested by the governor, with respect to 
  3.31  any program of public state improvements and the financing 
  3.32  thereof; and request and obtain information from other state 
  3.33  departments or agencies as may be needed properly to report 
  3.34  thereon; 
  3.35     (12) study changes in population and current trends and 
  3.36  prepare plans and suggest policies for the development and 
  4.1   conservation of the resources of the state; 
  4.2      (13) confer and cooperate with the executive, legislative, 
  4.3   or planning authorities of the United States and neighboring 
  4.4   states and provinces and of the counties and municipalities of 
  4.5   such neighboring states, for the purpose of bringing about a 
  4.6   coordination between the development of such neighboring 
  4.7   provinces, states, counties, and municipalities and the 
  4.8   development of this state; 
  4.9      (14) generally, gather, compile, and make available 
  4.10  statistical information relating to business, trade, commerce, 
  4.11  industry, transportation, communication, natural resources, and 
  4.12  other like subjects in this state, with authority to call upon 
  4.13  other departments of the state for statistical data and results 
  4.14  obtained by them and to arrange and compile that statistical 
  4.15  information in a manner that seems wise; 
  4.16     (15) prepare an annual report to the legislature estimating 
  4.17  and, to the extent possible, describing the number of Minnesota 
  4.18  companies which have left the state or moved to surrounding 
  4.19  states or other countries.  The report should include an 
  4.20  estimate of the number of jobs lost by these moves, an estimate 
  4.21  of the total employment payroll, average hourly wage of those 
  4.22  jobs lost and those created in the new location, and to the 
  4.23  extent possible, the reasons for each company moving out of 
  4.24  state, if known; 
  4.25     (16) publish documents and annually convene regional 
  4.26  meetings to inform businesses, local government units, 
  4.27  assistance providers, and other interested persons of changes in 
  4.28  state and federal law related to economic development; 
  4.29     (17) annually convene conferences of providers of economic 
  4.30  development related financial and technical assistance for the 
  4.31  purposes of exchanging information on economic development 
  4.32  assistance, coordinating economic development activities, and 
  4.33  formulating economic development strategies; 
  4.34     (18) provide business with information on the economic 
  4.35  benefits of energy conservation and on the availability of 
  4.36  energy conservation assistance; ~~and~~ 
  5.1      (19) sponsor conferences and seminars on economic 
  5.2   development and may solicit and receive public and private 
  5.3   contributions to support such conferences and seminars; and 
  5.4      (20) prepare, as part of biennial budget process with an 
  5.5   annual interim summary for the legislature, performance measures 
  5.6   for each business loan or grant program within the jurisdiction 
  5.7   of the commissioner.  Measures would include source of funds for 
  5.8   each program, numbers of jobs proposed or promised at the time 
  5.9   of application and the number of jobs created, estimated number 
  5.10  of jobs retained, the average salary and benefits for the jobs 
  5.11  resulting from the program, and the number of projects approved. 
  5.12     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 471.895, 
  5.13  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  5.14     Subd. 3.  [EXCEPTIONS.] (a) The prohibitions in this 
  5.15  section do not apply if the gift is: 
  5.16     (1) a contribution as defined in section 211A.01, 
  5.17  subdivision 5; 
  5.18     (2) services to assist an official in the performance of 
  5.19  official duties, including but not limited to attending 
  5.20  conferences or seminars described in section 116J.58, 
  5.21  subdivision 1, clause (19), and providing advice, consultation, 
  5.22  information, and communication in connection with legislation, 
  5.23  and services to constituents; 
  5.24     (3) services of insignificant monetary value; 
  5.25     (4) a plaque or similar memento recognizing individual 
  5.26  services in a field of specialty or to a charitable cause; 
  5.27     (5) a trinket or memento of insignificant value; 
  5.28     (6) informational material of unexceptional value; or 
  5.29     (7) food or a beverage given at a reception, meal, or 
  5.30  meeting away from the recipient's place of work by an 
  5.31  organization before whom the recipient appears to make a speech 
  5.32  or answer questions as part of a program. 
  5.33     (b) The prohibitions in this section do not apply if the 
  5.34  gift is given: 
  5.35     (1) because of the recipient's membership in a group, a 
  5.36  majority of whose members are not local officials, and an 
  6.1   equivalent gift is given to the other members of the group; or 
  6.2      (2) by an interested person who is a member of the family 
  6.3   of the recipient, unless the gift is given on behalf of someone 
  6.4   who is not a member of that family.