1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to transportation; appropriating money to the 
  1.3             department of transportation for transit assistance; 
  1.4             appropriating money to the metropolitan council for 
  1.5             transit operations and assistance; establishing job 
  1.6             access programs; defining terms; amending Minnesota 
  1.7             Statutes 1996, section 160.02, subdivision 7, and by 
  1.8             adding a subdivision. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 160.02, 
  1.11  subdivision 7, is amended to read: 
  1.12     Subd. 7.  [ROAD OR HIGHWAY.] "Road" or "highway" means a 
  1.13  corridor designed primarily for the efficient transportation of 
  1.14  people and goods, and includes, unless otherwise specified, the 
  1.15  several kinds of highways as defined in this section, including 
  1.16  roads designated as minimum-maintenance roads, and also 
  1.17  cartways, together with all bridges or other structures thereon 
  1.18  which form a part of the same.  
  1.19     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 160.02, is 
  1.20  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.21     Subd. 17.  [PUBLIC TRANSIT.] "Public transit" means 
  1.22  transportation that is available to the general public for hire 
  1.23  on a regular and continuing basis, and includes (1) public bus 
  1.24  and commuter rail service, (2) the property, equipment, 
  1.25  vehicles, and improvement of any nature owned, used, 
  1.26  constructed, or maintained to provide public transit, and (3) 
  1.27  supporting facilities such as park-and-ride facilities.  "Public 
  2.1   transit" does not include transportation such as travel in 
  2.2   passenger automobiles, ridesharing arrangements as defined in 
  2.3   section 169.01, subdivision 63, taxi service, charter or school 
  2.4   bus transportation, or nonpublic transportation. 
  2.5      Sec. 3.  [TRANSIT APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  2.6      Subdivision 1.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] The sums in the columns 
  2.7   headed "1998" and "1999" are appropriated for the fiscal years 
  2.8   ending June 30, 1998, and June 30, 1999, respectively, from the 
  2.9   general fund to the agencies and for the purposes specified. 
  2.10                                         1998           1999 
  2.11  Subd. 2.  Metropolitan Council     $ ...,...,...  $ ...,...,... 
  2.12  (a) Transit Operations                56,000,000     56,000,000
  2.13  This appropriation is for regular route 
  2.14  transit, metro mobility, 
  2.15  community-based services, and transit 
  2.16  administration. 
  2.17  (b) Employment Access Program        ...,...,...    ...,...,...
  2.18  This appropriation is for a job access 
  2.19  program for persons leaving public 
  2.20  assistance to begin employment.  This 
  2.21  program includes (1) bus passes for 
  2.22  such persons seeking employment, (2) 
  2.23  bus passes valid for up to one month 
  2.24  after beginning employment, and (3) 
  2.25  other transportation initiatives to 
  2.26  facilitate the transition from public 
  2.27  assistance to employment. 
  2.28  (c) Bus Fare Reduction               ...,...,...    ...,...,...
  2.29  This appropriation is for reduction of 
  2.30  bus fares for metropolitan council 
  2.31  regular route transit operations to 
  2.32  reduce the percentage of total 
  2.33  operating cost recovered from farebox 
  2.34  revenues to not more than 30 percent. 
  2.35  Subd. 3.  Department Of Transportation 
  2.36  (a) Greater Minnesota Transit
  2.37  Assistance                           ...,...,...    ...,...,...
  2.38  This appropriation is for assistance to 
  2.39  Greater Minnesota transit systems under 
  2.40  Minnesota Statutes, section 174.24. 
  2.41  (b) Job Access Program               ...,...,...    ...,...,...
  2.42  The commissioner shall distribute this 
  2.43  amount as grants to counties for public 
  2.44  transit programs to facilitate 
  2.45  transition between public assistance 
  2.46  and employment.  Counties receiving 
  2.47  grants from this appropriation may 
  2.48  spend the grants as (1) assistance to 
  2.49  public transit systems within the 
  2.50  county, including county-operated 
  3.1   systems, or (2) assistance to 
  3.2   individuals leaving public assistance 
  3.3   who are in need of aid in finding or 
  3.4   paying for employment-related 
  3.5   transportation.  In making grants from 
  3.6   this appropriation the commissioner 
  3.7   shall give highest priority to those 
  3.8   county-level activities that meet the 
  3.9   transportation needs of the largest 
  3.10  numbers of persons making the 
  3.11  transition from public assistance to 
  3.12  employment in the most cost-effective 
  3.13  manner. 
  3.14     Sec. 4.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.15     Sections 1 and 2 are effective July 1, 1997.