1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; capital investment; appropriating money for the library 
1.3 	accessibility and improvement grants program; establishing the Books 4 Bricks 
1.4 	program; authorizing the sale and issuance of state bonds;amending Minnesota 
1.5 	Statutes 2012, section 134.45; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.6 	Statutes, chapter 134.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 134.45, is amended to read:
1.9 	134.45 LIBRARY ACCESSIBILITY AND IMPROVEMENT GRANTS.
1.10 		Subdivision 1.Application; definition. Public library jurisdictions may apply to the 
1.11 	commissioner of education for grants for improvements and accessibility to their library 
1.12 	facilities. For the purposes of this section, "public library jurisdictions" means regional 
1.13 	public library systems, regional library districts, cities, and counties operating libraries 
1.14 	under chapter 134.
1.15 		Subd. 2.Approval by commissioner. The commissioner of education, in 
1.16 	consultation with the state Council on Disability, may approve or disapprove applications 
1.17 	under this section. The grant money must be used to remove architectural barriers from a 
1.18 	building or site, to renovate or expand an existing building for use as a library, or to 
1.19 	construct a new library building.
1.20 		Subd. 3.Application forms. The commissioner of education shall prepare 
1.21 	application forms and establish application dates. The commissioner may coordinate the 
1.22 	grant program with the Books 4 Bricks program under section 134.455.
1.23 		Subd. 4.Match. A public library jurisdiction applying for a grant under this section 
1.24 	must match the grant with local funds, except that a public library applying for a grant under 
1.25 	the Books 4 Bricks program may use the money from that program for the local match.
2.1 		Subd. 5.Qualification; accessibility grants. A public library jurisdiction may 
2.2 	apply for a grant in an amount up to $200,000 or 50 percent of the approved costs of 
2.3 	removing architectural barriers from a building or site, whichever is less. Grants may be 
2.4 	made only for projects in existing buildings used as a library, or to prepare another existing 
2.5 	building for use as a library. Renovation of an existing building may include an addition 
2.6 	to the building if the additional space is necessary to provide accessibility or if relocating 
2.7 	public spaces to the ground level provides improved overall accessibility. Grants must not 
2.8 	be used to pay part of the cost of meeting accessibility requirements in a new building.
2.9 		Subd. 5a.Prohibition on pornographic use of internet. A public library 
2.10 	jurisdiction is not eligible for a grant under this section unless it has adopted a policy to 
2.11 	prohibit library users from using the library's Internet access to view, print, or distribute 
2.12 	material that is obscene within the meaning of section 617.241.
2.13 		Subd. 5b.Qualification; improvement grants. A public library jurisdiction may 
2.14 	apply for a grant in an amount up to $1,000,000 or 50 percent, whichever is less, of the 
2.15 	approved costs of renovating or expanding an existing library building, or to construct a 
2.16 	new library building.
2.17 		Subd. 6.Award of grants. The commissioner, in consultation with the state 
2.18 	Council on Disability, shall examine and consider all applications for grants. If a public 
2.19 	library jurisdiction is found not qualified, the commissioner shall promptly notify it. 
2.20 	The commissioner shall prioritize grants on the following bases: whether the library is 
2.21 	participating in the Books 4 Bricks program, the degree of collaboration with other public 
2.22 	or private agencies, the public library jurisdiction's tax burden, the long-term feasibility of 
2.23 	the project, the suitability of the project, and the need for the project. If the total amount of 
2.24 	the applications exceeds the amount that is or can be made available, the commissioner 
2.25 	shall award grants according to the commissioner's judgment and discretion and based 
2.26 	upon a ranking of the projects according to the factors listed in this subdivision. The 
2.27 	commissioner shall promptly certify to each public library jurisdiction the amount, if 
2.28 	any, of the grant awarded to it.
2.29 		Subd. 7.Project budget. A public library jurisdiction that receives a grant 
2.30 	must provide the commissioner with the project budget and any other information the 
2.31 	commissioner requests.
2.32 		Subd. 8.Sale of public library funded with state bond proceeds. If the 
2.33 	commissioner of education and the local or regional governmental entity that owns 
2.34 	a public library that has been improved with state bond proceeds under this section 
2.35 	determines that the library is no longer usable or needed for the purposes for which the 
2.36 	grant of state bond funds was made, the owner of the public library may sell the property 
3.1 	in the manner authorized by law for the sale of other property owned by that jurisdiction 
3.2 	for its fair market value. The sale must be approved by the commissioner of management 
3.3 	and budget. Notwithstanding section 16A.695, subdivision 3, clause (2), the net proceeds 
3.4 	must be applied as follows: first, to pay the state the amount of state bond proceeds used 
3.5 	to acquire or better the property; and second, any remaining amount must be paid to the 
3.6 	local or regional governmental owner of the property sold. When the sale is complete and 
3.7 	the sale proceeds have been applied as provided in this subdivision, section 16A.695 no 
3.8 	longer applies to the property and the property is no longer state bond financed property.

3.9 	Sec. 2. [134.455] BOOKS 4 BRICKS PROGRAM.
3.10 		Subdivision 1.Program established. The commissioner of education shall develop 
3.11 	and implement a Books 4 Bricks program to foster literacy among Minnesota's school 
3.12 	children. The goal of the Books 4 Bricks program is to encourage partnerships to enhance 
3.13 	literacy throughout Minnesota's schools and public libraries.
3.14 		Subd. 2.Participating schools. A school or public library interested in participating 
3.15 	in the Books 4 Bricks program must submit an application to the Department of Education 
3.16 	in the form and manner determined by the commissioner. The commissioner shall notify 
3.17 	each qualifying school or public library of its eligibility.
3.18 		Subd. 3.Student participation. A student in grade 3 or younger enrolled in any 
3.19 	eligible school or involved in a library-based reading program may participate in the 
3.20 	Books 4 Bricks program.
3.21 		Subd. 4.Volunteer. A tutor, parent, or community volunteer may participate in the 
3.22 	Books 4 Bricks program with a qualifying student.
3.23 		Subd. 5.Reading goals. The commissioner of education must set the reading goals 
3.24 	for each grade level of students and the qualifying number of hours for volunteers. The 
3.25 	commissioner may prioritize grants for students in early elementary grades. The goals 
3.26 	may be measured by time spent reading, pages read, or other standards established by 
3.27 	the commissioner.
3.28 		Subd. 6.Bricks awarded. Each student and volunteer who achieve the reading goal 
3.29 	set for that student and volunteer may request that the commissioner of education have that 
3.30 	student and volunteer's name listed on the Books 4 Bricks display at the recipient library. 
3.31 	The commissioner must notify each grant recipient of the student and volunteer's names.
3.32 		Subd. 7.Reading wall. Each library receiving a grant under the Books 4 Bricks 
3.33 	program shall establish a reading wall of bricks or other method to commemorate 
3.34 	the participating students and volunteers who have met the reading goals set by the 
3.35 	commissioner.
4.1 		Subd. 8.Funds provided. The commissioner of education must annually pay to the 
4.2 	fiscal host for a school or public library participating in the Books 4 Bricks program an 
4.3 	amount equal to $1,000 times the number of students and volunteers who have met their 
4.4 	reading goal established under this section for that year.

4.5 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

4.6 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION; BOOKS 4 BRICKS PROGRAM.
 4.7 	$....... in fiscal year 2015 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
4.8 	of education for grants to the fiscal hosts for schools and public libraries participating 
4.9 	in the Books 4 Bricks program.

4.10 	Sec. 4. LIBRARY ACCESSIBILITY AND IMPROVEMENT GRANT 
4.11 	PROGRAM; BOOKS 4 BRICKS.
 4.12 		Subdivision 1.Appropriation. $14,000,000 is appropriated from the bond proceeds 
4.13 	fund to the commissioner of education for grants under the library accessibility and 
4.14 	improvement grant program.
4.15 		Subd. 2.Bond sale. To provide the money appropriated in this section from the 
4.16 	bond proceeds fund, the commissioner of management and budget shall sell and issue 
4.17 	bonds of the state in an amount up to $14,000,000 in the manner, upon the terms, and with 
4.18 	the effect prescribed by Minnesota Statutes, sections 16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the 
4.19 	Minnesota Constitution, article XI, sections 4 to 7.

4.20 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.