1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; establishing Road User Fee 
  1.3             Task Force. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [ROAD USER FEE TASK FORCE.] 
  1.6      Subdivision 1.  [CREATION AND PURPOSE.] A Road User Fee 
  1.7   Task Force is established to develop a design for the collection 
  1.8   of revenue based on the usage of roadways to be deposited into 
  1.9   the highway user tax distribution fund that will eventually 
  1.10  replace the current state motor fuel tax. 
  1.11     Subd. 2.  [COMPOSITION.] (a) The Road User Fee Task Force 
  1.12  is composed of: 
  1.13     (1) the commissioner of transportation or the 
  1.14  commissioner's designee; 
  1.15     (2) four citizen members appointed by the governor, speaker 
  1.16  of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate 
  1.17  acting jointly and, in making appointments under this paragraph, 
  1.18  the appointing authorities shall consider individuals who 
  1.19  represent the technology industry in Minnesota, highway user 
  1.20  groups, and the Minnesota transportation research community; 
  1.21     (3) an elected city official appointed by the governor; 
  1.22     (4) an elected county official appointed by the governor; 
  1.23     (5) two senators appointed by the Subcommittee on 
  1.24  Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration; and 
  2.1      (6) two members of the house of representatives appointed 
  2.2   by the speaker. 
  2.3      (b) The term of a member appointed to the task force under 
  2.4   this subdivision is four years.  The task force shall elect a 
  2.5   chair from among its members.  
  2.6      (c) Nongovernment members of the task force shall receive 
  2.7   compensation in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.8   15.059, subdivision 3.  
  2.9      (d) The Department of Transportation shall provide staff 
  2.10  for the task force.  
  2.11     (e) The task force expires June 30, 2008. 
  2.12     Subd. 3.  [DUTIES.] The task force shall study alternatives 
  2.13  to the current system of taxing highway use through motor 
  2.14  vehicle fuel taxes.  The task force shall hold public hearings 
  2.15  and conduct a literature search on research conducted on the 
  2.16  feasibility of a mileage tax or other alternatives to the motor 
  2.17  fuel tax based on roadway usage. 
  2.18     Subd. 4.  [TASK FORCE REPORT.] By January 15, 2007, the 
  2.19  task force shall provide a preliminary report to the chairs of 
  2.20  the senate and house of representatives committees with 
  2.21  jurisdiction over transportation policy and finance on the work 
  2.22  of the task force in evaluating options for alternatives to the 
  2.23  current motor fuel tax.  By January 15, 2009, the task force 
  2.24  shall provide a final report to the chairs of the senate and 
  2.25  house of representatives committees with jurisdiction over 
  2.26  transportation policy and finance regarding options for 
  2.27  alternatives to the current motor fuel tax.  The report must 
  2.28  include but is not limited to an evaluation of technology and 
  2.29  methods for: 
  2.30     (1) identifying vehicles; 
  2.31     (2) collecting and reporting the number of miles traveled 
  2.32  by a particular vehicle; 
  2.33     (3) receiving payments from participants in any proposed 
  2.34  pilot projects; 
  2.35     (4) reliability of technology; 
  2.36     (5) ease of use of technology; 
  3.1      (6) public acceptance; 
  3.2      (7) cost of implementation and administration; and 
  3.3      (8) potential for evasion of accurate reporting. 
  3.4      Subd. 5.  [ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND FUNDING.] The 
  3.5   commissioner of transportation shall provide administrative 
  3.6   support and funding to the task force.