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 study the future of highway funding 
  1.8   and alternatives to existing highway user tax mechanisms. 
  1.9      Subd. 2.  [COMPOSITION.] (a) The Road User Fee Task Force 
  1.10  is composed of: 
  1.11     (1) the commissioner of transportation or the 
  1.12  commissioner's designee; 
  1.13     (2) the commissioner of public safety or the commissioner's 
  1.14  designee; 
  1.15     (3) the commissioner of revenue or the commissioner's 
  1.16  designee; 
  1.17     (4) six citizen members appointed by the governor, which 
  1.18  must include: 
  1.19     (i) a representative of the motor carrier industry; 
  1.20     (ii) a representative of a transportation organization with 
  1.21  both public and private members; 
  1.22     (iii) a representative of an association of high-technology 
  1.23  companies; 
  1.24     (iv) a representative of the University of Minnesota Center 
  2.1   for Transportation Studies; and 
  2.2      (v) two additional members; 
  2.3      (5) an elected city official appointed by the governor; 
  2.4      (6) a county board member appointed by the governor; 
  2.5      (7) an elected township officer appointed by the governor; 
  2.6      (8) three senators appointed by the Subcommittee on 
  2.7   Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration, of whom 
  2.8   one must be the chair of the senate committee having 
  2.9   jurisdiction over transportation policy and one of whom must be 
  2.10  a member of the minority caucus; and 
  2.11     (9) three members of the house of representatives appointed 
  2.12  by the speaker, of whom one must be the chair of the house 
  2.13  committee having jurisdiction over transportation policy and one 
  2.14  of whom must be a member of the minority caucus. 
  2.15     (b) Removal of task force members is as provided under 
  2.16  Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059, subdivision 4.  The task 
  2.17  force shall elect a chair from among its members. 
  2.18     (c) Members of the task force shall receive compensation in 
  2.19  accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059, subdivision 
  2.20  3. 
  2.21     (d) The Department of Transportation shall provide staff, 
  2.22  administrative support, and funding to the task force. 
  2.23     Subd. 3.  [DUTIES.] (a) The task force shall study: 
  2.24     (1) the adequacy of existing highway user tax mechanisms to 
  2.25  fund present and future highway needs; and 
  2.26     (2) alternative highway user tax systems and mechanisms 
  2.27  that tie highway user collections directly to road usage, 
  2.28  including: 
  2.29     (i) present and future technology that would be used by 
  2.30  such alternative systems, including: 
  2.31     (A) vehicle identification capability; 
  2.32     (B) ability of such systems to collect and report number of 
  2.33  miles traveled by each vehicle and collect taxes or fees on the 
  2.34  basis of such information; and 
  2.35     (C) suitability of such systems for one or more pilot 
  2.36  projects; 
  3.1      (ii) revenue potential of such systems compared to the 
  3.2   existing tax system; 
  3.3      (iii) public acceptance of such systems; 
  3.4      (iv) costs of implementation and administration of such 
  3.5   systems; 
  3.6      (v) potential for tax evasion under such systems; 
  3.7      (vi) issues of tax equity; and 
  3.8      (vii) compatibility of such systems with tax systems in 
  3.9   other states. 
  3.10     (b) The task force shall review available literature and 
  3.11  other research as part of its study.  Task force meetings must 
  3.12  be open to the public. 
  3.13     Subd. 4.  [TASK FORCE REPORT.] By January 15, 2007, the 
  3.14  task force shall provide a final report to the chairs of the 
  3.15  senate and house of representatives committees with jurisdiction 
  3.16  over transportation policy and finance regarding its findings, 
  3.17  conclusions, and recommendations. 
  3.18     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.19     Section 1 is effective July 1, 2004, and expires December 
  3.20  31, 2006.