1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; allowing local communities, 
  1.3             counties, or school districts to purchase community or 
  1.4             technical colleges under certain conditions; requiring 
  1.5             review of and recommendations on purchase offers from 
  1.6             the department of finance; providing transition funds 
  1.7             to the local entities upon purchase; maintaining 
  1.8             post-secondary courses through alternative means 
  1.9             following purchase. 
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  [LEGISLATIVE INTENT.] 
  1.12     The legislature recognizes the importance of public 
  1.13  post-secondary education to the state and the need for 
  1.14  educational services to be accessible to all citizens.  However, 
  1.15  the legislature recognizes that limited resources demand that 
  1.16  state and local needs be met in the most efficient, effective, 
  1.17  and innovative manner.  Therefore, the legislature intends to 
  1.18  assist local areas in meeting their need for public facilities, 
  1.19  while protecting the state's commitment to post-secondary 
  1.20  education. 
  1.21     Sec. 2.  [OFFER TO PURCHASE.] 
  1.22     Subdivision 1.  [GENERAL.] Any community, county, or school 
  1.23  district in which a technical college or community college is 
  1.24  located may offer to purchase the real property, including the 
  1.25  facility, for $1 to use for a public purpose, under the 
  1.26  conditions of this section. 
  1.27     Subd. 2.  [OFFER.] Notwithstanding any other law to the 
  2.1   contrary, a city council, a town board, a county board, or a 
  2.2   school board upon a majority vote, may apply to the state 
  2.3   department of finance to purchase its real property, including 
  2.4   the facility, of its community or technical college.  The 
  2.5   application must be made by December 1, 1995, and must indicate 
  2.6   the public purpose for which the facility will be used. 
  2.7      Subd. 3.  [FINANCE DEPARTMENT.] The department of finance 
  2.8   shall review the request and recommend to the governor and the 
  2.9   legislature by February 1, 1996, whether to accept the request. 
  2.10     Sec. 3.  [ACCEPTANCE OF OFFER.] 
  2.11     Subdivision 1.  [LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL.] The legislature 
  2.12  shall review the offer and the recommendations from the 
  2.13  department of finance.  If the legislature approves the offer, 
  2.14  it shall:  
  2.15     (1) provide for the transfer of real property, including 
  2.16  the facility, from the state to the city, town, county, or 
  2.17  school district for $1; 
  2.18     (2) provide for the transfer of educational equipment and 
  2.19  related property to other post-secondary institutions; 
  2.20     (3) determine a timetable for the transfer; 
  2.21     (4) provide a plan for college employee options; and 
  2.22     (5) provide for the return of the property to the state in 
  2.23  the event that it is no longer used for public purposes. 
  2.24     Subd. 2.  [OPERATING EXPENSES.] The legislature shall 
  2.25  provide to the purchasing entity the following: 
  2.26     (1) in the first fiscal year following the legislature's 
  2.27  approval of the sale, an appropriation equal to the operating 
  2.28  expenditure for the facility in fiscal year 1996 as a community 
  2.29  or technical college, as determined by the department of 
  2.30  finance; and 
  2.31     (2) in the second fiscal year following the legislature's 
  2.32  approval of the sale, an appropriation equal to one-half the 
  2.33  operating expenditure for the facility in fiscal year 1996 
  2.34  operation as a community or technical college. 
  2.35     Subd. 3.  [USE OF APPROPRIATION.] The purchasing entity may 
  2.36  use the appropriation provided under subdivision 2 to remodel, 
  3.1   renovate, or repair the facility or to otherwise aid in the 
  3.2   transition of the facility to its new public purpose. 
  3.3      Sec. 4.  [DELIVERY OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION.] 
  3.4      At the request of the purchasing entity, the higher 
  3.5   education board, to the extent possible, shall continue to 
  3.6   provide post-secondary courses at the facility, using 
  3.7   alternative means as determined by the board.  There must be no 
  3.8   costs to the higher education board for the use of the facility. 
  3.9      Sec. 5.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.10     Sections 1 to 4 are effective the day following final 
  3.11  enactment.