1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to transportation; creating a hazard 
  1.3             elimination safety account in the local road 
  1.4             improvement fund; authorizing state bonds for local 
  1.5             bridge replacement and rehabilitation and the local 
  1.6             road improvement program; providing standard for 
  1.7             construction and reconstruction projects under the 
  1.8             local road account in the local road improvement fund 
  1.9             for routes of regional significance; appropriating 
  1.10            money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 
  1.11            174.52, subdivision 4, by adding subdivisions. 
  1.12  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.13     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 174.52, 
  1.14  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  1.15     Subd. 4.  [LOCAL ROAD ACCOUNT FOR ROUTES OF REGIONAL 
  1.16  SIGNIFICANCE.] A local road account for routes of regional 
  1.17  significance is established in the local road improvement fund.  
  1.18  Money in the account is annually appropriated to the 
  1.19  commissioner of transportation for expenditure as specified in 
  1.20  this section.  Money in the account must be used as grants or 
  1.21  loans to statutory or home rule charter cities, towns, and 
  1.22  counties to assist in paying the costs of constructing or 
  1.23  reconstructing to a ten-ton standard city streets, county 
  1.24  highways, or town roads with statewide or regional significance 
  1.25  that has not been fully funded through other state, federal, or 
  1.26  local funding sources. 
  1.27     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 174.52, is 
  1.28  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.1      Subd. 6.  [HAZARD ELIMINATION SAFETY PROGRAM.] A hazard 
  2.2   elimination safety program account is established in the local 
  2.3   road improvement fund.  Money in the account is annually 
  2.4   appropriated to the commissioner of transportation for 
  2.5   expenditure as specified in this section.  Money in the account 
  2.6   must be used as grants or loans to statutory or home rule 
  2.7   charter cities, towns, and counties to assist in paying the cost 
  2.8   of safety improvement projects for hazard elimination designed 
  2.9   to reduce traffic accidents, deaths, injuries, and property 
  2.10  damage. 
  2.11     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 174.52, is 
  2.12  amended by adding a subdivision to read:  
  2.13     Subd. 7.  [GRANT PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA.] The commissioner 
  2.14  shall establish procedures for statutory or home rule charter 
  2.15  cities, towns, and counties to apply for grants or loans from 
  2.16  the fund and criteria to be used to select projects for 
  2.17  funding.  The commissioner shall establish these procedures and 
  2.18  criteria in consultation with representatives appointed by the 
  2.19  association of Minnesota counties, league of Minnesota cities, 
  2.20  and Minnesota township officers association.  Determination of 
  2.21  project priority and the amount of a grant or loan must be based 
  2.22  upon consideration of: 
  2.23     (1) inclusion of a project in the list of high-cost crash 
  2.24  locations identified annually by the department of 
  2.25  transportation that involve a local road; 
  2.26     (2) a benefit/cost ratio of 1.0 or greater; and 
  2.27     (3) ability of the project to reduce the severity or 
  2.28  frequency of accidents. 
  2.29     Sec. 4.  [LOCAL BRIDGE REPLACEMENT AND REHABILITATION; BOND 
  2.30  SALE AUTHORIZATION.] 
  2.31     Subdivision 1.  [APPROPRIATION.] $15,000,000 is 
  2.32  appropriated from the bond proceeds account in the state 
  2.33  transportation fund as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.34  174.50, to match federal money and to replace or rehabilitate 
  2.35  local deficient bridges.  Political subdivisions may use grants 
  2.36  made under this section to construct or reconstruct bridges, 
  3.1   including: 
  3.2      (1) matching federal-aid grants to construct or reconstruct 
  3.3   key bridges; 
  3.4      (2) paying the costs of preliminary engineering and 
  3.5   environmental studies authorized under Minnesota Statutes, 
  3.6   section 174.50, subdivision 6a; 
  3.7      (3) paying the costs to abandon an existing bridge that is 
  3.8   deficient and in need of replacement, but where no replacement 
  3.9   will be made; and 
  3.10     (4) paying the costs to construct a road or street to 
  3.11  facilitate the abandonment of an existing bridge determined by 
  3.12  the commissioner to be deficient, if the commissioner determines 
  3.13  that construction of the road or street is more cost efficient 
  3.14  than the replacement of the existing bridge. 
  3.15     Subd. 2.  [BOND SALE AUTHORIZATION.] To provide the money 
  3.16  appropriated by subdivision 1 from the bond proceeds fund, the 
  3.17  commissioner of finance shall sell and issue bonds of the state 
  3.18  in an amount up to $15,000,000 in the manner, on the terms, and 
  3.19  with the effect prescribed by Minnesota Statutes, sections 
  3.20  16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the Minnesota Constitution, article 
  3.21  XI, sections 4 to 7. 
  3.22     Sec. 5.  [LOCAL ROAD IMPROVEMENT FUND; BOND SALE 
  3.23  AUTHORIZATION.] 
  3.24     Subdivision 1.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] $150,000,000 is 
  3.25  appropriated from the bond proceeds fund to the local road 
  3.26  improvement fund under Minnesota Statutes, section 174.52.  Of 
  3.27  this appropriation: 
  3.28     (1) $25,000,000 is for the trunk highway corridor projects 
  3.29  account; 
  3.30     (2) $100,000,000 is for the local road account for routes 
  3.31  of regional significance; and 
  3.32     (3) $25,000,000 is for the hazard elimination safety 
  3.33  program account. 
  3.34     Subd. 2.  [BOND SALE AUTHORIZATION.] To provide the money 
  3.35  appropriated by subdivision 1 from the bond proceeds fund, the 
  3.36  commissioner of finance shall sell and issue bonds of the state 
  4.1   in an amount up to $150,000,000 in the manner, on the terms, and 
  4.2   with the effect prescribed by Minnesota Statutes, sections 
  4.3   16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the Minnesota Constitution, article 
  4.4   XI, sections 4 to 7. 
  4.5      Sec. 6.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.6      Sections 1 to 5 are effective July 1, 2003.