1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to local government associations; authorizing 
  1.3             group insurance protection for metropolitan 
  1.4             intercounty association; amending Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             1998, section 471.61, subdivision 1. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 471.61, 
  1.8   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES.] A county, municipal 
  1.10  corporation, town, school district, county extension committee, 
  1.11  other political subdivision or other body corporate and politic 
  1.12  of this state, other than the state or any department of the 
  1.13  state, through its governing body, and any two or more 
  1.14  subdivisions acting jointly through their governing bodies, may 
  1.15  insure or protect its or their officers and employees, and their 
  1.16  dependents, or any class or classes of officers, employees, or 
  1.17  dependents, under a policy or policies or contract or contracts 
  1.18  of group insurance or benefits covering life, health, and 
  1.19  accident, in the case of employees, and medical and surgical 
  1.20  benefits and hospitalization insurance or benefits for both 
  1.21  employees and dependents or dependents of an employee whose 
  1.22  death was due to causes arising out of and in the course of 
  1.23  employment, or any one or more of those forms of insurance or 
  1.24  protection.  A governmental unit, including county extension 
  1.25  committees and those paying their employees, may pay all or any 
  2.1   part of the premiums or charges on the insurance or protection.  
  2.2   A payment is deemed to be additional compensation paid to the 
  2.3   officers or employees, but for purposes of determining 
  2.4   contributions or benefits under a public pension or retirement 
  2.5   system it is not deemed to be additional compensation.  One or 
  2.6   more governmental units may determine that a person is an 
  2.7   officer or employee if the person receives income from the 
  2.8   governmental subdivisions without regard to the manner of 
  2.9   election or appointment, including but not limited to employees 
  2.10  of county historical societies that receive funding from the 
  2.11  county and employees of the metropolitan intercounty 
  2.12  association.  The appropriate officer of the governmental unit, 
  2.13  or those disbursing county extension funds, shall deduct from 
  2.14  the salary or wages of each officer and employee who elects to 
  2.15  become insured or so protected, on the officer's or employee's 
  2.16  written order, all or part of the officer's or employee's share 
  2.17  of premiums or charges and remit the share or portion to the 
  2.18  insurer or company issuing the policy or contract. 
  2.19     A governmental unit, other than a school district, that 
  2.20  pays all or part of the premiums or charges is authorized to 
  2.21  levy and collect a tax, if necessary, in the next annual tax 
  2.22  levy for the purpose of providing the necessary money for the 
  2.23  payment of the premiums or charges, and the sums levied and 
  2.24  appropriated are not, in the event the sum exceeds the maximum 
  2.25  sum allowed by the charter of a municipal corporation, 
  2.26  considered part of the cost of government of the governmental 
  2.27  unit as defined in any levy or expenditure limitation; provided 
  2.28  at least 50 percent of the cost of benefits on dependents must 
  2.29  be contributed by the employee or be paid by levies within 
  2.30  existing charter tax limitations. 
  2.31     The word "dependents" as used in this subdivision means 
  2.32  spouse and minor unmarried children under the age of 18 years 
  2.33  actually dependent upon the employee. 
  2.34     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.35     Section 1 is effective the day after its final enactment.