1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; changing the purpose of a 
  1.3             portion of bonding authority for light rail transit in 
  1.4             the Hiawatha corridor to design and construction of an 
  1.5             exclusive bus transitway in that corridor and 
  1.6             canceling the remaining authority; reducing earlier 
  1.7             appropriations; changing their purposes; amending Laws 
  1.8             1998, chapter 404, section 17, subdivision 3; and 
  1.9             section 27, subdivision 1; Laws 1999, chapter 240, 
  1.10            article 1, section 9, subdivisions 1 and 5; and 
  1.11            section 13, subdivision 1. 
  1.12  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.13     Section 1.  Laws 1998, chapter 404, section 17, subdivision 
  1.14  3, is amended to read: 
  1.15  Subd. 3.  Transitways                     ~~46,500,000~~  6,500,000
  1.16  (a) This appropriation is to match 
  1.17  federal and local funding for the 
  1.18  planning, design, engineering, and 
  1.19  construction of transitways in the 
  1.20  metropolitan area. 
  1.21  (b) ~~$40,000,000 is for the preliminary~~ 
  1.22  ~~engineering, final design, and~~ 
  1.23  ~~construction of light rail transit in~~ 
  1.24  ~~the Hiawatha Avenue corridor from~~ 
  1.25  ~~downtown Minneapolis through~~ 
  1.26  ~~Minneapolis-St. Paul International~~ 
  1.27  ~~Airport and the site of the former Met~~ 
  1.28  ~~Center or surrounding area with a~~ 
  1.29  ~~terminus in southern Hennepin or~~ 
  1.30  ~~northern Dakota county.~~ 
  1.31  ~~The Hiawatha Avenue corridor management~~ 
  1.32  ~~committee created pursuant to Minnesota~~ 
  1.33  ~~Statutes, section 473.3994, subdivision~~ 
  1.34  ~~10, shall establish an advisory~~ 
  1.35  ~~committee of:~~ 
  1.36  ~~(1) individuals who reside near the~~ 
  1.37  ~~proposed corridor;~~ 
  2.1   ~~(2) representatives of businesses~~ 
  2.2   ~~located within one mile on either side~~ 
  2.3   ~~of the corridor; and~~ 
  2.4   ~~(3) elected officials, including~~ 
  2.5   ~~legislators, who represent the area in~~ 
  2.6   ~~which the Hiawatha corridor is located.~~ 
  2.7   ~~The advisory committee shall advise the~~ 
  2.8   ~~corridor management committee on issues~~ 
  2.9   ~~relating to the preliminary~~ 
  2.10  ~~engineering, final design, and~~ 
  2.11  ~~construction of light rail facilities,~~ 
  2.12  ~~including the proposed alignment for~~ 
  2.13  ~~the corridor.~~ 
  2.14  ~~(c)~~ The funds in this paragraph must be 
  2.15  distributed as grants to appropriate 
  2.16  county regional rail authorities as 
  2.17  follows: 
  2.18  (1) $3,000,000 to match federal funding 
  2.19  for a major investment study, 
  2.20  engineering, and implementation in the 
  2.21  Riverview corridor between the east 
  2.22  side of St. Paul and the 
  2.23  Minneapolis-St. Paul International 
  2.24  Airport and the Mall of America; 
  2.25  (2) $1,500,000 to match federal funding 
  2.26  for a major investment study, 
  2.27  engineering, and implementation in the 
  2.28  Northstar corridor linking downtown 
  2.29  Minneapolis to the St. Cloud area and 
  2.30  to study the feasibility of commuter 
  2.31  rail and other transportation 
  2.32  improvements within the corridor; 
  2.33  (3) $500,000 to study potential transit 
  2.34  improvements and engineering studies in 
  2.35  the Cedar Avenue corridor to link the 
  2.36  Hiawatha, Riverview, and Northstar 
  2.37  transit corridors with Dakota county; 
  2.38  and 
  2.39  (4) $500,000 to develop engineering 
  2.40  documents for a commuter rail line from 
  2.41  Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul 
  2.42  through southern Washington county to 
  2.43  Hastings. 
  2.44  The commissioner of transportation, in 
  2.45  coordination with the North Star 
  2.46  Corridor Joint Powers Authority and the 
  2.47  St. Cloud area planning agency, shall 
  2.48  study the transportation needs within 
  2.49  the St. Cloud metropolitan area.  
  2.50  ~~(d)~~ (c) $1,000,000 is available as 
  2.51  grants to appropriate county regional 
  2.52  rail authorities to conduct major 
  2.53  investment studies and to develop 
  2.54  engineering documents for commuter rail 
  2.55  lines in the following corridors: 
  2.56  (1) the Young America corridor from 
  2.57  Carver county to Minneapolis and St. 
  2.58  Paul; 
  2.59  (2) the Bethel corridor linking 
  2.60  Cambridge with the Northstar corridor 
  3.1   in Anoka county; 
  3.2   (3) the Northwest corridor from 
  3.3   downtown Minneapolis to the Northwest 
  3.4   suburbs of Hennepin county; and 
  3.5   (4) other commuter rail corridors 
  3.6   identified in phase II of the 
  3.7   department of transportation's commuter 
  3.8   rail service study, except for the 
  3.9   corridors identified in paragraph (c). 
  3.10  The appropriation in this paragraph is 
  3.11  not available until the completion of 
  3.12  the commuter rail service study as 
  3.13  provided in Laws 1997, chapter 159, 
  3.14  article 2, section 51.  The funds may 
  3.15  be made available only after approval 
  3.16  by the commissioner of transportation 
  3.17  of an application submitted by county 
  3.18  regional rail authorities that is 
  3.19  consistent with the results of the 
  3.20  commuter rail service study and 
  3.21  demonstrates a coordinated 
  3.22  implementation strategy. 
  3.23     Sec. 2.  Laws 1998, chapter 404, section 27, subdivision 1, 
  3.24  is amended to read: 
  3.25     Subdivision 1.  [BOND PROCEEDS FUND.] To provide the money 
  3.26  appropriated in this act from the bond proceeds fund, the 
  3.27  commissioner of finance, on request of the governor, shall sell 
  3.28  and issue bonds of the state in an amount up to 
  3.29  ~~$463,795,000~~ $423,795,000 in the manner, upon the terms, and 
  3.30  with the effect prescribed by Minnesota Statutes, sections 
  3.31  16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the Minnesota Constitution, article 
  3.32  XI, sections 4 to 7.  
  3.33     Sec. 3.  Laws 1999, chapter 240, article 1, section 9, 
  3.34  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  3.35  Subdivision 1.  To the commissioner of
  3.36  transportation for the purposes specified
  3.37  in this section                           ~~80,440,000~~ 70,400,000 
  3.38     Sec. 4.  Laws 1999, chapter 240, article 1, section 9, 
  3.39  subdivision 5, is amended to read: 
  3.40  Subd. 5.  ~~Light Rail Transit~~                         ~~60,000,000~~
  3.41            Hiawatha Bus Way                           50,000,000 
  3.42  This appropriation is ~~to match federal~~ 
  3.43  ~~money to construct light rail transit~~ 
  3.44  for design and construction of an 
  3.45  exclusive bus transitway in the 
  3.46  Hiawatha Avenue corridor~~, as provided~~ 
  3.47  ~~in Laws 1998, chapter 404, section 17,~~ 
  3.48  ~~subdivision 3, paragraph (b), and is~~ 
  3.49  ~~added to that appropriation, as amended~~ 
  4.1   ~~by article 2.  This is the final state~~ 
  4.2   ~~appropriation for the total~~ 
  4.3   ~~construction of this project~~. 
  4.4   ~~The commissioner may not spend this~~ 
  4.5   ~~appropriation until:~~ 
  4.6   ~~(1) the Hiawatha Avenue corridor~~ 
  4.7   ~~project has received a "final design"~~ 
  4.8   ~~designation by the Federal Transit~~ 
  4.9   ~~Administration and a full-funding grant~~ 
  4.10  ~~agreement has been executed with the~~ 
  4.11  ~~Federal Transit Administration for~~ 
  4.12  ~~funding the planning and capital costs~~ 
  4.13  ~~of light rail transit in the Hiawatha~~ 
  4.14  ~~Avenue corridor that provides funding~~ 
  4.15  ~~of not less than $223,000,000 by the~~ 
  4.16  ~~federal government and that includes~~ 
  4.17  ~~any required local contribution from~~ 
  4.18  ~~Hennepin county regional railroad~~ 
  4.19  ~~authority, the city of Minneapolis and~~ 
  4.20  ~~the Metropolitan Airports Commission;~~ 
  4.21  ~~and~~ 
  4.22  ~~(2) the commissioner has determined~~ 
  4.23  ~~that no part of the construction costs~~ 
  4.24  ~~of light rail transit in the Hiawatha~~ 
  4.25  ~~Avenue corridor will be paid from~~ 
  4.26  ~~property tax revenues of the~~ 
  4.27  ~~metropolitan council or of any county~~ 
  4.28  ~~or regional rail authority other than~~ 
  4.29  ~~the Hennepin county regional rail~~ 
  4.30  ~~authority.~~ 
  4.31  ~~The commissioner and the chair of the~~ 
  4.32  ~~metropolitan council shall jointly~~ 
  4.33  ~~submit a report to the legislature by~~ 
  4.34  ~~February 1, 2000, that sets forth a~~ 
  4.35  ~~financial plan for paying the operating~~ 
  4.36  ~~costs of light rail transit in the~~ 
  4.37  ~~Hiawatha Avenue corridor for at least~~ 
  4.38  ~~the first five years of operation.~~ 
  4.39  ~~If the requirements of paragraph (1)~~ 
  4.40  ~~are not met by May 1, 2000, for the~~ 
  4.41  ~~"final design" designation or by~~ 
  4.42  ~~January 31, 2001, for the full-funding~~ 
  4.43  ~~agreement, this appropriation, any~~ 
  4.44  ~~unspent portion of the $40,000,000~~ 
  4.45  ~~appropriated by Laws 1998, chapter 404,~~ 
  4.46  ~~section 17, subdivision 3, paragraph~~ 
  4.47  ~~(b), as amended by article 2, and all~~ 
  4.48  ~~state bond sale authorizations for the~~ 
  4.49  ~~Hiawatha Avenue corridor, are canceled.~~ 
  4.50     Sec. 5.  Laws 1999, chapter 240, article 1, section 13, 
  4.51  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  4.52     Subdivision 1.  [BOND PROCEEDS FUND.] To provide the money 
  4.53  appropriated in this article from the bond proceeds fund, the 
  4.54  commissioner of finance, on request of the governor, shall sell 
  4.55  and issue bonds of the state in an amount up to 
  4.56  ~~$139,510,000~~ $129,510,000 in the manner, upon the terms, and 
  4.57  with the effect prescribed by Minnesota Statutes, sections 
  5.1   16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the Minnesota Constitution, article 
  5.2   XI, sections 4 to 7. 
  5.3      Sec. 6.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  5.4      Sections 1 to 5 are effective the day following final 
  5.5   enactment.