2006 Minnesota Statutes

144.95 MOSQUITO RESEARCH PROGRAM.
    Subdivision 1. Research program. The commissioner of health shall establish and maintain
a long-range program of research to study:
(1) the basic biology, distribution, population ecology, and biosystematics of Minnesota
mosquitoes;
(2) the impact of mosquitoes on human and animal health and the economy, including such
areas as recreation, tourism, and livestock production;
(3) the baseline population and environmental status of organisms other than mosquitoes that
may be affected by mosquito management;
(4) the effects of mosquito management strategies on animals and plants that may result in
changes in ecology of specific areas;
(5) the development of mosquito management strategies that are effective, practical, and
environmentally safe;
(6) the costs and benefits of development of local and regional management and educational
programs.
    Subd. 2. Research facility and field stations. (a) The commissioner of health shall establish
and maintain mosquito management research and development facilities, including but not limited
to field research stations in the major mosquito ecologic regions and a center for basic mosquito
management research and development. The commissioner shall, to the extent possible, contract
with the University of Minnesota in establishing, maintaining, and staffing the research facilities.
(b) The commissioner of health shall establish and implement a program of contractual
research grants with public and private agencies and individuals in order to:
(1) undertake supplemental research studies on basic mosquito biology, physiology, and life
cycle history beyond those described in subdivision 1;
(2) undertake research into the effects of mosquitoes on human health, including vector-borne
diseases, and on animal health, including agricultural and wildlife effects;
(3) undertake studies of other economic factors including tourism and recreation;
(4) collect and analyze baseline data on the ecology and distribution of organisms other than
mosquitoes that may be affected as a result of mosquito management strategies;
(5) develop new, effective, practical, and biologically compatible control methods and
materials;
(6) conduct additional monitoring of the environmental effects of mosquito control methods
and materials;
(7) undertake demonstration, training, and education programs for development of local
and regional mosquito management programs.
    Subd. 3. Conduct research trials. The commissioner of health may develop and conduct
research trials of mosquito management methods and materials. Trials may be conducted, with
the agreement of the public or private landholder, wherever and whenever the commissioner
considers necessary to provide accurate data for determining the efficacy of a method or material
in controlling mosquitoes.
    Subd. 4. Research trials. Research trials of mosquito management methods and materials
are subject to the following laws and rules unless a specific written exemption, license, or waiver
is granted; sections 84.0895, 103G.615, 97A.045, subdivision 1, 103A.201, 103G.255, and
103G.275 to 103G.285; and Minnesota Rules, chapters 1505, 6115, 6120, 6134, and 6140.
    Subd. 5. General authority. (a) To carry out subdivisions 1 to 4, the commissioner of
health may:
(1) accept money, property, or services from any source;
(2) receive and hold lands;
(3) accept gifts;
(4) cooperate with city, state, federal, or private agencies whose research on mosquito control
or on other environmental matters may be affected by the commissioner's mosquito management
and research activities; and
(5) enter into contracts with any public or private entity.
(b) The contracts must specify the duties performed, services provided, and the amount and
method of reimbursement for them. Money collected by the commissioner under contracts made
under this subdivision is appropriated to the commissioner for the purposes specified in the
contracts. Contractual agreements must be processed under section 16C.08.
    Subd. 6. Authority to enter property. The commissioner of health, officers, employees, or
agents may, with express permission of the owner, enter upon any property at reasonable times to:
(1) determine whether mosquito breeding exists;
(2) examine, count, study, or collect laboratory samples to determine the property's
geographic, geologic, and biologic characteristics; or
(3) study and collect laboratory samples to determine the effect on animals and vegetation of
an insecticide, herbicide, or other method used to control mosquitoes.
    Subd. 7. Research plots. The commissioner of health may lease and maintain experimental
plots of land for mosquito research. The commissioner of health shall determine the locations
of the experimental plots and may enter into agreements with any public or private agency or
individual to lease the land. The commissioners of agriculture, natural resources, transportation,
and iron range resources and rehabilitation shall cooperate with the commissioner of health.
    Subd. 8. Emergencies. The commissioner may suspend or revoke a contract, agreement, or
delegated authority granted in this section at any time and without prior notice if an emergency,
accident, or hazard threatens the public health.
    Subd. 9.[Repealed, 1997 c 7 art 2 s 67]
    Subd. 10. Contingency. This section is effective only if the tax on cigarettes imposed by
United States Code, title 26, section 5701, as amended, is reduced after June 1, 1985, or if other
public or private funds sufficient to fund the program are made available to the commissioner for
the purposes of this program.
History: 1Sp1985 c 14 art 19 s 17; 1987 c 149 art 2 s 10; 1987 c 312 art 1 s 26 subd 2; 1990
c 391 art 8 s 29; art 10 s 3; 1993 c 163 art 1 s 25; 1998 c 386 art 2 s 57