1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to transportation; redefining road or 
  1.3             highway; imposing requirements and restrictions on 
  1.4             transportation expenditures from the trunk highway 
  1.5             fund and general fund; establishing spending goals for 
  1.6             transportation; requiring expenditures for operations 
  1.7             of the state patrol to be from the general fund; 
  1.8             specifying compensation to be included in prevailing 
  1.9             wage rate; providing for periodic adjustments in motor 
  1.10            fuel tax rate; authorizing issuance of bonds for local 
  1.11            bridge replacement and reconstruction; appropriating 
  1.12            money; amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, sections 
  1.13            160.02, subdivision 7, and by adding a subdivision; 
  1.14            161.04, by adding a subdivision; 174.01, by adding a 
  1.15            subdivision; 174.02, by adding a subdivision; 177.42, 
  1.16            subdivision 6; 299D.01, by adding a subdivision; and 
  1.17            299D.03, subdivision 5. 
  1.18  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.19     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 160.02, 
  1.20  subdivision 7, is amended to read: 
  1.21     Subd. 7.  [ROAD OR HIGHWAY.] "Road" or "highway" means a 
  1.22  corridor used primarily for the transportation of persons or 
  1.23  goods and includes, unless otherwise specified, the several 
  1.24  kinds of highways as defined in this section, including roads 
  1.25  designated as minimum-maintenance roads, and also cartways, 
  1.26  together with all bridges or other structures thereon which form 
  1.27  a part of the same.  
  1.28     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 160.02, is 
  1.29  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.30     Subd. 7a.  [HIGHWAY PURPOSE.] "Highway purpose" means a 
  1.31  purpose that is substantially related to the establishment, 
  2.1   construction, reconstruction, maintenance, or administration of 
  2.2   a road or highway. 
  2.3      Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 161.04, is 
  2.4   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.5      Subd. 4.  [EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.] (a) Not less than 60 
  2.6   percent of total expenditures in any fiscal year from the trunk 
  2.7   highway fund must be for the construction and reconstruction of 
  2.8   trunk highways, including engineering and right-of-way 
  2.9   acquisition. 
  2.10     (b) Money in the trunk highway fund may not be spent for 
  2.11  the purpose of (1) acquiring new trunk highway corridors, (2) 
  2.12  substantially expanding existing trunk highway corridors by 
  2.13  adding lanes, or (3) substantially expanding traffic capacity on 
  2.14  existing trunk highway corridors, except for reasons of safety. 
  2.15     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 174.01, is 
  2.16  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.17     Subd. 3.  [TRANSPORTATION SPENDING GOALS.] The following 
  2.18  transportation spending goals are established: 
  2.19     (1) total spending per fiscal year from the trunk highway 
  2.20  fund for construction and reconstruction of state trunk 
  2.21  highways, not less than $500,000,000 by fiscal year 2002; 
  2.22     (2) total state spending per fiscal year on public transit 
  2.23  outside the seven-county metropolitan area, not less than 
  2.24  $15,000,000 for capital improvements and $17,000,000 for 
  2.25  operating assistance by fiscal year 1999; and 
  2.26     (3) total state spending per fiscal year on public transit 
  2.27  in the seven-county metropolitan area, not less than $32,000,000 
  2.28  for capital improvements and $60,000,000 for operating 
  2.29  assistance by fiscal year 1999.  
  2.30     Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 174.02, is 
  2.31  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.32     Subd. 7.  [RECOMMENDED APPROPRIATIONS FROM GENERAL 
  2.33  FUND.] The commissioner of transportation shall include in each 
  2.34  biennial budget submitted to the legislature a plan, developed 
  2.35  by area transportation partnerships, of recommended expenditures 
  2.36  from the general fund for trunk highway purposes and public 
  3.1   transit purposes. 
  3.2      Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 177.42, 
  3.3   subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  3.4      Subd. 6.  [PREVAILING WAGE RATE.] "Prevailing wage rate" 
  3.5   means the hourly basic rate of pay plus the contribution for 
  3.6   health and welfare benefits, vacation benefits, pension 
  3.7   benefits, and any other economic benefit paid to the largest 
  3.8   number of workers engaged in the same class of labor within the 
  3.9   area and includes, for the purposes of section 177.44, rental 
  3.10  rates for truck hire paid to those who own and operate the 
  3.11  truck.  The prevailing wage rate may not be less than a 
  3.12  reasonable and living wage.  All economic benefits paid to or 
  3.13  dedicated for the benefit of workers engaged in the same class 
  3.14  of labor, whether pursuant to a qualified or other formal 
  3.15  benefit plan, or paid or dedicated by the employer for the 
  3.16  benefit of the worker in any other manner, must be included in 
  3.17  the prevailing wage rate for the purposes of sections 177.41 to 
  3.18  177.44. 
  3.19     Sec. 7.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 299D.01, is 
  3.20  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  3.21     Subd. 9.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] Appropriations for the 
  3.22  operations of the state patrol, other than commercial motor 
  3.23  vehicle inspection and enforcement activities, must be from the 
  3.24  general fund. 
  3.25     Sec. 8.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 299D.03, 
  3.26  subdivision 5, is amended to read: 
  3.27     Subd. 5.  [FINES AND FORFEITED BAIL MONEY.] (a) All fines 
  3.28  and forfeited bail money, from traffic and motor vehicle law 
  3.29  violations, collected from persons apprehended or arrested by 
  3.30  officers of the state patrol, shall be paid by the person or 
  3.31  officer collecting the fines, forfeited bail money or 
  3.32  installments thereof, on or before the tenth day after the last 
  3.33  day of the month in which these moneys were collected, to the 
  3.34  county treasurer of the county where the violation occurred.  
  3.35  Three-eighths of these receipts shall be credited to the general 
  3.36  revenue fund of the county.  The other five-eighths of these 
  4.1   receipts shall be transmitted by that officer to the state 
  4.2   treasurer and shall be credited as follows: 
  4.3      (1) In the fiscal year ending June 30, 1991, the first 
  4.4   $275,000 in money received by the state treasurer after June 4, 
  4.5   1991, must be credited to the transportation services fund, and 
  4.6   the remainder in the fiscal year credited to the trunk highway 
  4.7   fund. 
  4.8      (2) In fiscal year 1992, the first $215,000 in money 
  4.9   received by the state treasurer in the fiscal year must be 
  4.10  credited to the transportation services fund, and the remainder 
  4.11  credited to the trunk highway fund. 
  4.12     (3) In fiscal years 1993 and subsequent years, the entire 
  4.13  amount received by the state treasurer must be credited to the 
  4.14  trunk highway general fund.  If, however, the violation occurs 
  4.15  within a municipality and the city attorney prosecutes the 
  4.16  offense, and a plea of not guilty is entered, one-third of the 
  4.17  receipts shall be credited to the general revenue fund of the 
  4.18  county, one-third of the receipts shall be paid to the 
  4.19  municipality prosecuting the offense, and one-third shall be 
  4.20  transmitted to the state treasurer as provided in this 
  4.21  subdivision.  All costs of participation in a nationwide police 
  4.22  communication system chargeable to the state of Minnesota shall 
  4.23  be paid from appropriations for that purpose. 
  4.24     (b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, all fines 
  4.25  and forfeited bail money from violations of statutes governing 
  4.26  the maximum weight of motor vehicles, collected from persons 
  4.27  apprehended or arrested by employees of the state of Minnesota, 
  4.28  by means of stationary or portable scales operated by these 
  4.29  employees, shall be paid by the person or officer collecting the 
  4.30  fines or forfeited bail money, on or before the tenth day after 
  4.31  the last day of the month in which the collections were made, to 
  4.32  the county treasurer of the county where the violation 
  4.33  occurred.  Five-eighths of these receipts shall be transmitted 
  4.34  by that officer to the state treasurer and shall be credited to 
  4.35  the highway user tax distribution fund.  Three-eighths of these 
  4.36  receipts shall be credited to the general revenue fund of the 
  5.1   county.  
  5.2      Sec. 9.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  5.3      (a) $103,000,000 is appropriated for fiscal year 1999 from 
  5.4   the general fund to the commissioner of transportation.  The 
  5.5   commissioner shall spend this amount as follows: 
  5.6      (1) $50,000,000 for the construction of trunk highways on 
  5.7   new corridors or alignments, and for substantial capacity 
  5.8   improvements to trunk highways on existing alignments; 
  5.9      (2) $50,000,000 for restoration of former trunk highways 
  5.10  that have reverted to a statutory or home rule charter city or 
  5.11  county and have become part of a state-aid system; 
  5.12     (3) $1,000,000 for capital improvements for public transit 
  5.13  outside the seven-county metropolitan area; and 
  5.14     (4) $2,000,000 for operating assistance for public transit 
  5.15  outside the seven-county metropolitan area. 
  5.16     (b) $42,000,000 is appropriated for fiscal year 1999 from 
  5.17  the general fund to the metropolitan council.  The council shall 
  5.18  spend this amount as follows: 
  5.19     (1) $32,000,000 for capital improvements for regular route 
  5.20  transit operated by the council; and 
  5.21     (2) $10,000,000 for operating assistance for regular route 
  5.22  transit operated by the council. 
  5.23     (c) The appropriations in this section are in addition to 
  5.24  any other appropriations for those purposes for fiscal year 1999.
  5.25     Sec. 10.  [STATE TRANSPORTATION BONDS.] 
  5.26     Subdivision 1.  [APPROPRIATION.] $34,000,000 is 
  5.27  appropriated from the state transportation fund to the 
  5.28  commissioner of transportation to be spent as grants to 
  5.29  political subdivisions for replacement or rehabilitation of 
  5.30  bridges under Minnesota Statutes, section 174.50, subdivisions 4 
  5.31  to 7.  This appropriation is available until June 30, 2000.  
  5.32  Political subdivisions may spend grants under this section to 
  5.33  construct or reconstruct bridges, including: 
  5.34     (1) matching federal-aid grants to construct or reconstruct 
  5.35  bridges; 
  5.36     (2) paying costs of preliminary engineering and 
  6.1   environmental studies authorized under Minnesota Statutes, 
  6.2   section 174.50, subdivision 6a; 
  6.3      (3) paying the costs of abandoning an existing bridge that 
  6.4   is deficient and in need of replacement, but where no 
  6.5   replacement will be made; and 
  6.6      (4) paying the costs of constructing a road or street to 
  6.7   facilitate the abandonment of an existing bridge the 
  6.8   commissioner determines is deficient, if the commissioner 
  6.9   determines that construction of the road or street is more cost 
  6.10  efficient than replacing the original bridge. 
  6.11     Subd. 2.  [BOND SALE AUTHORIZATION.] To provide the money 
  6.12  appropriated in subdivision 1, the commissioner of finance, on 
  6.13  request of the governor, shall sell and issue general obligation 
  6.14  bonds of the state in an amount up to $34,000,000 in the manner, 
  6.15  upon the terms, and with the effect prescribed by Minnesota 
  6.16  Statutes, sections 16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the Minnesota 
  6.17  Constitution, article XI, sections 4 to 7.  The proceeds of the 
  6.18  bonds, except accrued interest and any premium received on the 
  6.19  sale of the bonds, must be credited to a bond proceeds account 
  6.20  in the state transportation fund. 
  6.21     Sec. 11.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  6.22     Sections 1, 2, 4, 9, and 10 are effective July 1, 1998.  
  6.23  Sections 5, 7, and 8 are effective July 1, 1999.  Section 6 is 
  6.24  effective April 1, 2001.