2006 Minnesota Statutes

116P.05 LEGISLATIVE-CITIZEN COMMISSION ON MINNESOTA RESOURCES.
    Subdivision 1. Membership. (a) A Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources
of 17 members is created in the legislative branch, consisting of the chairs of the house and senate
committees on environment and natural resources finance or designees appointed for the terms
of the chairs, four members of the senate appointed by the Subcommittee on Committees of the
Committee on Rules and Administration, and four members of the house appointed by the speaker.
At least two members from the senate and two members from the house must be from
the minority caucus. Members are entitled to reimbursement for per diem expenses plus travel
expenses incurred in the services of the commission.
Seven citizens are members of the commission, five appointed by the governor, one
appointed by the Senate Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on Rules and
Administration, and one appointed by the speaker of the house. The citizen members are selected
and recommended to the appointing authorities according to subdivision 1a and must:
(1) have experience or expertise in the science, policy, or practice of the protection,
conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state's air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and
other natural resources;
(2) have strong knowledge in the state's environment and natural resource issues around the
state; and
(3) have demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative environment.
(b) Members shall develop procedures to elect a chair that rotates between legislative and
citizen members. The chair shall preside and convene meetings as often as necessary to conduct
duties prescribed by this chapter.
(c) Appointed legislative members shall serve on the commission for two-year terms,
beginning in January of each odd-numbered year and continuing through the end of December
of the next even-numbered year. Citizen and legislative members continue to serve until their
successors are appointed.
(d) A citizen member may be removed by an appointing authority for cause. Vacancies
occurring on the commission shall not affect the authority of the remaining members of the
commission to carry out their duties, and vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the term in
the same manner under paragraph (a).
(e) Citizen members shall be initially appointed according to the following schedule of terms:
(1) two members appointed by the governor for a term ending the first Monday in January
2010;
(2) one member appointed by the senate Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on
Rules and Administration for a term ending the first Monday in January 2010 and one member
appointed by the speaker of the house for a term ending the first Monday in January 2010;
(3) two members appointed by the governor for a term ending the first Monday in January
2009; and
(4) one member appointed by the governor for a term ending the first Monday in January
2008.
(f) Citizen members are entitled to per diem and reimbursement for expenses incurred in the
services of the commission, as provided in section 15.059, subdivision 3.
(g) The governor's appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the senate.
    Subd. 1a. Citizen selection committee. The governor shall appoint a Trust Fund Citizen
Selection Committee of five members who come from different regions of the state and who have
knowledge and experience of state environment and natural resource issues.
The duties of the Trust Fund Citizen Selection Committee shall be to:
(1) identify citizen candidates to be members of the commission as part of the open
appointments process under section 15.0597;
(2) request and review citizen candidate applications to be members of the commission; and
(3) interview the citizen candidates and recommend an adequate pool of candidates to be
selected for commission membership by the governor, the senate, and the house of representatives.
Members are entitled to travel expenses incurred to fulfill their duties under this subdivision
as provided in section 15.059, subdivision 6.
    Subd. 2. Duties. (a) The commission shall recommend an annual legislative bill for
appropriations from the environment and natural resources trust fund and shall adopt a strategic
plan as provided in section 116P.08. Approval of the recommended legislative bill requires an
affirmative vote of at least 12 members of the commission.
(b) The commission shall recommend expenditures to the legislature from the state land and
water conservation account in the natural resources fund.
(c) It is a condition of acceptance of the appropriations made from the Minnesota environment
and natural resources trust fund, and oil overcharge money under section 4.071, subdivision 2,
that the agency or entity receiving the appropriation must submit a work program and semiannual
progress reports in the form determined by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota
Resources, and comply with applicable reporting requirements under section 116P.16. None of the
money provided may be spent unless the commission has approved the pertinent work program.
(d) The peer review panel created under section 116P.08 must also review, comment, and
report to the commission on research proposals applying for an appropriation from the oil
overcharge money under section 4.071, subdivision 2.
(e) The commission may adopt operating procedures to fulfill its duties under this chapter.
(f) As part of the operating procedures, the commission shall:
(1) ensure that members' expectations are to participate in all meetings related to funding
decision recommendations;
(2) recommend adequate funding for increased citizen outreach and communications for
trust fund expenditure planning;
(3) allow administrative expenses as part of individual project expenditures based on need;
(4) provide for project outcome evaluation;
(5) keep the grant application, administration, and review process as simple as possible; and
(6) define and emphasize the leveraging of additional sources of money that project
proposers should consider when making trust fund proposals.
    Subd. 3. Sunset. This section expires June 30, 2016, unless extended by law.
History: 1988 c 690 art 1 s 9; 1989 c 335 art 1 s 269; 1990 c 594 art 1 s 56; 1991 c 254 art
2 s 39; 1991 c 343 s 2; 1993 c 4 s 15; 1994 c 580 s 1; 1997 c 202 art 2 s 36; 2003 c 128 art 1 s
147; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 135; 2006 c 243 s 5