1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to metropolitan sports facilities; requiring 
  1.3             the metropolitan sports facilities commission to sell 
  1.4             the met center; requiring the commission to escrow 
  1.5             funds for retirement of all outstanding debt on the 
  1.6             metrodome; transferring ownership and operation of the 
  1.7             metrodome from the commission to the major league 
  1.8             professional football team and baseball club; 
  1.9             abolishing the metropolitan sports facilities 
  1.10            commission; transferring other commission assets to 
  1.11            the general fund; providing for amateur sports 
  1.12            commission funding for youth sports; appropriating 
  1.13            money; amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 
  1.14            240A.08; repealing Minnesota Statutes 1996, sections 
  1.15            473.553; 473.556; 473.561; 473.564; 473.565; 473.572; 
  1.16            473.581; 473.592; 473.595; 473.596; 473.598; and 
  1.17            473.599. 
  1.18  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.19     Section 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] 
  1.20     The definitions in Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 
  1.21  473.551, apply to the terms used in sections 2 to 7. 
  1.22     Sec. 2.  [SALE OF MET CENTER; DEFEASANCE OF METRODOME 
  1.23  BONDS.] 
  1.24     Subdivision 1.  [SALE.] The metropolitan sports facilities 
  1.25  commission shall sell the met center within a reasonable time. 
  1.26     Subd. 2.  [SALE TO METROPOLITAN COUNCIL.] If the commission 
  1.27  has not sold the met center by December 31, 1997, the commission 
  1.28  shall sell it to the metropolitan council.  The council shall 
  1.29  pay a price reached by averaging the appraised fair market 
  1.30  values provided by three appraisers.  One appraiser must be 
  1.31  hired by the commission, one by the metropolitan council, and 
  2.1   the third by agreement of the commission and the council. 
  2.2      Subd. 3.  [BONDS.] The metropolitan council may borrow 
  2.3   money or by resolution authorize the issuance of general 
  2.4   obligation bonds or notes for the acquisition of the met center. 
  2.5   The bonds or notes must be sold, issued, and secured in the 
  2.6   manner provided in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 475, and the 
  2.7   council has the same powers and duties as a municipality issuing 
  2.8   bonds under that chapter, except that no election is required 
  2.9   and the net debt limitations in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 475, 
  2.10  do not apply to the bonds or notes.  The obligations are not a 
  2.11  debt of the state or any other municipality or political 
  2.12  subdivision within the meaning of any debt limitation or 
  2.13  requirement pertaining to those entities.  The bonds or notes 
  2.14  may be sold at any price and at a public or private sale as 
  2.15  determined by the council.  The obligations may be secured by 
  2.16  taxes levied without limitation of rate or amount upon all 
  2.17  taxable property in the metropolitan area. 
  2.18     Subd. 4.  [DEFEASANCE OF METRODOME BONDS.] Upon the sale of 
  2.19  the met center, the commission shall escrow money or securities 
  2.20  sufficient to defease the outstanding debt on the metrodome. 
  2.21     Sec. 3.  [SALE OF METRODOME.] 
  2.22     Subdivision 1.  [OFFER TO SELL.] Upon defeasance of the 
  2.23  metrodome's bonded debt, the commission shall offer to sell the 
  2.24  metrodome for one dollar to the major league professional 
  2.25  football team and the major league baseball club that are 
  2.26  tenants of the metrodome as coowners in equal shares and 
  2.27  operators of the metrodome subject to the conditions in this act.
  2.28     Subd. 2.  [CONTRACTS HONORED.] As a condition of the 
  2.29  purchase of the metrodome, the purchasers are the commission's 
  2.30  successors and shall honor the commission's contracts with other 
  2.31  tenants and with the metrodome's concession and maintenance 
  2.32  services that are in effect at the time of the metrodome's sale. 
  2.33     Subd. 3.  [RETURN TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP.] If either the 
  2.34  football team or the baseball club vacates the metrodome, its 
  2.35  share is transferred to the other.  If both the football team 
  2.36  and baseball club vacate the metrodome, ownership and operation 
  3.1   of the metrodome is transferred to the Minnesota amateur sports 
  3.2   commission. 
  3.3      Sec. 4.  [OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES.] 
  3.4      Subdivision 1.  [DETERMINATION.] If the tenants of the 
  3.5   metrodome agree to buy the metrodome under section 3, the 
  3.6   commission shall determine its remaining assets and liabilities. 
  3.7      Subd. 2.  [PAYMENT OF LIABILITIES.] Except as provided in 
  3.8   section 3, the commission shall pay all liabilities of the 
  3.9   commission out of the commission's remaining funds.  The state 
  3.10  is the commission's successor in any proceeding, court action, 
  3.11  prosecution, or other business or matter pending on the 
  3.12  effective date of section 5, abolishing the commission. 
  3.13     Subd. 3.  [DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS.] After payment of 
  3.14  liabilities, the remaining assets of the commission are 
  3.15  distributed as follows: 
  3.16     (1) personalty remains with the metrodome unless otherwise 
  3.17  negotiated by the commission and the purchasers of the 
  3.18  metrodome; and 
  3.19     (2) cash and investments are transferred to the general 
  3.20  fund. 
  3.21     Sec. 5.  [COMMISSION ABOLISHED.] 
  3.22     Upon the sale of the metrodome, payment of liabilities, and 
  3.23  distribution of assets, the metropolitan sports facilities 
  3.24  commission is abolished. 
  3.25     Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 240A.08, is 
  3.26  amended to read: 
  3.27     240A.08 [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.28     (a) $750,000 is appropriated annually from the general fund 
  3.29  to the Minnesota amateur sports commission for the purpose of 
  3.30  entering into long-term leases, use, or other agreements with 
  3.31  the ~~metropolitan sports facilities commission~~ Minneapolis 
  3.32  community development agency for the conduct of amateur sports 
  3.33  activities at the basketball and hockey arena, consistent with 
  3.34  the purposes set forth in this chapter, including (1) 
  3.35  stimulating and promoting amateur sports, (2) promoting physical 
  3.36  fitness by promoting participation in sports, (3) promoting the 
  4.1   development of recreational amateur sport opportunities and 
  4.2   activities, and (4) promoting local, regional, national, and 
  4.3   international amateur sport competitions and events.  The 
  4.4   amateur sports commission shall determine what constitutes 
  4.5   amateur sports activities as provided in this chapter as of 
  4.6   March 1, 1995.  The ~~metropolitan sports facilities~~ 
  4.7   ~~commission~~ Minneapolis community development agency may allocate 
  4.8   at least 25 but no more than 50 dates a year for the conduct of 
  4.9   amateur sports activities at the basketball and hockey arena by 
  4.10  the amateur sports commission.  At least 12 of the dates must be 
  4.11  on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  The amateur sports commission 
  4.12  may sell a date at the arena to another group for any purpose.  
  4.13  Revenue from sale of these dates is appropriated to the amateur 
  4.14  sports commission for purposes listed in section 240A.04.  If 
  4.15  any amateur sports activities conducted by the amateur sports 
  4.16  commission at the basketball and hockey arena are restricted to 
  4.17  participants of one gender, an equal number of activities on 
  4.18  comparable days of the week must be conducted for participants 
  4.19  of the other gender, but not necessarily in the same year.  The 
  4.20  legislature reserves the right to repeal or amend this 
  4.21  appropriation, and does not intend this appropriation to create 
  4.22  public debt. 
  4.23     (b) The amateur sports commission shall not transmit to the 
  4.24  operator of the basketball and hockey arena payment of any 
  4.25  event-related costs or expenses, including, but not limited to, 
  4.26  personnel, labor, services, equipment, utilities, or supplies 
  4.27  attributable to the events unless and until the operator has 
  4.28  demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the amateur sports 
  4.29  commission, the basis for each specific cost or expense and the 
  4.30  means by which the costs and expenses were determined. 
  4.31     (c) The amateur sports commission may use any ticket system 
  4.32  as may be in place from time to time at the basketball and 
  4.33  hockey arena, provided that any royalty or rebate fees or 
  4.34  charges or surcharges on tickets received by the operator of the 
  4.35  arena from third parties must be credited against event-related 
  4.36  costs or expenses. 
  5.1      (d) In the establishment of event-related costs to be 
  5.2   imposed upon the amateur sports commission, the operator of the 
  5.3   basketball and hockey arena shall provide the amateur sports 
  5.4   commission with the maximum discount that the operator has 
  5.5   supplied to any other sponsor of a similar amateur sports event 
  5.6   in the arena within the 180-day period immediately preceding the 
  5.7   date of the amateur sports commission event. 
  5.8      (e) The amateur sports commission must report by August 1 
  5.9   each year to the chairs of the house and senate state government 
  5.10  finance divisions on compliance with this section and on the 
  5.11  total value of dates and ancillary services, and revenue derived 
  5.12  from resale of dates, during the previous state fiscal year. 
  5.13     (f) The attorney general, on behalf of the amateur sports 
  5.14  commission, must pursue collection of monetary damages from the 
  5.15  operator of the arena if the operator fails to comply with the 
  5.16  requirements of this section. 
  5.17     (g) The books, records, documents, accounting procedures, 
  5.18  and practices of ~~the metropolitan sports facilities commission,~~ 
  5.19  the Minneapolis community development agency, and any 
  5.20  corporation with which the Minnesota amateur sports commission 
  5.21  may contract for use of the basketball and hockey arena are 
  5.22  available for review by the Minnesota amateur sports commission, 
  5.23  the legislative auditor, and the chairs of the state government 
  5.24  finance divisions of the senate and the house of 
  5.25  representatives, subject to chapter 13 and section 473.598, 
  5.26  subdivision 4. 
  5.27     (h) Any long-term lease, use, or other agreement entered 
  5.28  into by the Minnesota amateur sports commission for use of the 
  5.29  arena must also provide for a release of the Minnesota amateur 
  5.30  sports commission from its commitment and permit it to agree to 
  5.31  a per event use fee when the bonds issued for the metrodome 
  5.32  under section 473.581 have been retired. 
  5.33     Sec. 7.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  5.34     An amount equal to the cash and investments transferred to 
  5.35  the general fund from the abolished metropolitan sports 
  5.36  facilities commission under section 4, subdivision 3, is 
  6.1   appropriated to the Minnesota amateur sports commission for the 
  6.2   purposes of providing underserved youth opportunities for 
  6.3   participating in youth sports in the metropolitan area.  This 
  6.4   appropriation is available until expended. 
  6.5      Sec. 8.  [REPEALER.] 
  6.6      Minnesota Statutes 1996, sections 473.553; 473.556; 
  6.7   473.561; 473.564; 473.565; 473.572; 473.581; 473.592; 473.595; 
  6.8   473.596; 473.598; and 473.599, are repealed, effective upon the 
  6.9   abolition of the metropolitan sports facilities commission under 
  6.10  section 5.