1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to public safety; establishing a certification process for public safety 
1.3 	telecommunicators; appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, 
1.4 	section 403.02, by adding a subdivision; Minnesota Statutes 2021 Supplement, 
1.5 	section 403.11, subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
1.6 	chapter 403; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 403.02, subdivision 17c.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 403.02, is amended by adding a subdivision 
1.9 	to read:
1.10 		Subd. 17d.Public safety telecommunicator. "Public safety telecommunicator" means 
1.11 	a person who is employed by a primary, secondary, or Tribal public safety answering point, 
1.12 	an emergency medical dispatch service provider, or both, and serves as an initial first 
1.13 	responder to answer incoming emergency telephone calls or provide for the appropriate 
1.14 	emergency response either directly or through communication with the appropriate public 
1.15 	safety answering point. This definition also includes those who supervise public safety 
1.16 	telecommunicators. Pursuant to section 403.051, after August 1, 2024, public safety 
1.17 	telecommunicators and those who directly manage or supervise public safety 
1.18 	telecommunicators must be certified by the commissioner.

1.19 	Sec. 2. [403.051] PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS; CERTIFICATION; 
1.20 	TRAINING; CONTINUING EDUCATION.
1.21 		Subdivision 1.Certification required. After August 1, 2024, a public safety 
1.22 	telecommunicator must be certified by the commissioner to serve in that role.
2.1 		Subd. 2.Certification requirements; rulemaking. (a) The commissioner of public 
2.2 	safety, in coordination with the Statewide Emergency Communications Board, must adopt 
2.3 	rules for certification requirements for public safety telecommunicators and establish in 
2.4 	rule criteria for training, certification, and continuing education that incorporate the 
2.5 	requirements set forth in paragraph (b).
2.6 	(b) The commissioner must require that candidates for public safety telecommunicator 
2.7 	certification and recertification demonstrate, at a minimum, proficiency in the following 
2.8 	areas:
2.9 	(1) public safety telecommunicator roles and responsibilities;
2.10 	(2) applicable legal concepts;
2.11 	(3) interpersonal skills;
2.12 	(4) emergency communications technology and information systems;
2.13 	(5) 911 call processing;
2.14 	(6) emergency management;
2.15 	(7) radio communications for the public safety telecommunicator;
2.16 	(8) stress management; and
2.17 	(9) quality performance standards management.
2.18 		Subd. 3.Continuing education. To maintain certification under this section, a public 
2.19 	safety telecommunicator must complete 48 hours of approved continuing education 
2.20 	coursework every two years.

2.21 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2021 Supplement, section 403.11, subdivision 1, is amended 
2.22 	to read:
2.23 		Subdivision 1.Emergency telecommunications service fee; account. (a) Each customer 
2.24 	of a wireless or wire-line switched or packet-based telecommunications service provider 
2.25 	connected to the public switched telephone network that furnishes service capable of 
2.26 	originating a 911 emergency telephone call is assessed a fee based upon the number of 
2.27 	wired or wireless telephone lines, or their equivalent, to cover the costs of ongoing 
2.28 	maintenance and related improvements for trunking and central office switching equipment 
2.29 	for 911 emergency telecommunications service, to offset administrative and staffing costs 
2.30 	of the commissioner related to managing the 911 emergency telecommunications service 
2.31 	program, to make distributions provided for in section 403.113, and to offset the costs, 
3.1 	including administrative and staffing costs, incurred by the State Patrol Division of the 
3.2 	Department of Public Safety in handling 911 emergency calls made from wireless phones.
3.3 	(b) Money remaining in the 911 emergency telecommunications service account after 
3.4 	all other obligations are paid must not cancel and is carried forward to subsequent years 
3.5 	and ~~may~~ must be appropriated ~~from time to time~~ to the commissioner to provide financial 
3.6 	assistance to counties for the improvement of local emergency telecommunications services, 
3.7 	including public safety telecommunicator training, certification, and continuing education.
3.8 	(c) The fee may not be more than 95 cents a month on or after July 1, 2010, for each 
3.9 	customer access line or other basic access service, including trunk equivalents as designated 
3.10 	by the Public Utilities Commission for access charge purposes and including wireless 
3.11 	telecommunications services. With the approval of the commissioner of management and 
3.12 	budget, the commissioner of public safety shall establish the amount of the fee within the 
3.13 	limits specified and inform the companies and carriers of the amount to be collected. When 
3.14 	the revenue bonds authorized under section 403.27, subdivision 1, have been fully paid or 
3.15 	defeased, the commissioner shall reduce the fee to reflect that debt service on the bonds is 
3.16 	no longer needed. The commissioner shall provide companies and carriers a minimum of 
3.17 	45 days' notice of each fee change. The fee must be the same for all customers, except that 
3.18 	the fee imposed under this subdivision does not apply to prepaid wireless telecommunications 
3.19 	service, which is instead subject to the fee imposed under section 403.161, subdivision 1, 
3.20 	paragraph (a).
3.21 	(d) The fee must be collected by each wireless or wire-line telecommunications service 
3.22 	provider subject to the fee. Fees are payable to and must be submitted to the commissioner 
3.23 	monthly before the 25th of each month following the month of collection, except that fees 
3.24 	may be submitted quarterly if less than $250 a month is due, or annually if less than $25 a 
3.25 	month is due. Receipts must be deposited in the state treasury and credited to a 911 
3.26 	emergency telecommunications service account in the special revenue fund. The money in 
3.27 	the account may only be used for 911 telecommunications services.
3.28 	(e) Competitive local exchanges carriers holding certificates of authority from the Public 
3.29 	Utilities Commission are eligible to receive payment for recurring 911 services.

3.30 	Sec. 4. APPROPRIATION; PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATOR 
3.31 	CERTIFICATION AND TRAINING.
 3.32 	$....... in fiscal year 2023 is appropriated from the 911 emergency telecommunications 
3.33 	service account to the commissioner of public safety for reimbursement grants to entities 
4.1 	that employ public safety telecommunicators for training and certification required under 
4.2 	Minnesota Statutes, section 403.051.

4.3 	Sec. 5. REPEALER.
 4.4 	Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 403.02, subdivision 17c, is repealed.

APPENDIX 

Repealed Minnesota Statutes: 22-06743 

403.02 DEFINITIONS.Subd. 17c.911 telecommunicator. 
"911 telecommunicator" means a person employed by a public safety answering point, an emergency medical dispatch service provider, or both, who is qualified to answer incoming emergency telephone calls or provide for the appropriate emergency response either directly or through communication with the appropriate public safety answering point.