1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to capital improvements; providing for grants 
  1.3             to cities along the DM&E railroad for mitigation 
  1.4             purposes; authorizing issuance of bonds; appropriating 
  1.5             money. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  1.8      (a) $50,000,000 is appropriated from the bond proceeds fund 
  1.9   to the commissioner of trade and economic development for grants 
  1.10  to the affected cities and counties in proportions provided in 
  1.11  this section for mitigation of the adverse impacts of the 
  1.12  increased railroad activity within the DM&E railroad corridor.  
  1.13  Mitigation measures may include, but are not limited to:  
  1.14  traffic crossing safety improvements; traffic/train vehicle 
  1.15  conflict reduction measures such as grade separations, 
  1.16  improvements to connecting streets to redirect traffic to other 
  1.17  crossings, or alternative railroad alignments; pedestrian safety 
  1.18  measures; noise mitigation measures including, but not limited 
  1.19  to, sound walls, the construction of berms, acquisition or 
  1.20  relocation of the most severely impacted properties, 
  1.21  whistle-free crossing improvements, directional horns for train 
  1.22  crossings, and other measures to reduce noise impacts on 
  1.23  adjacent properties; improvements to emergency services 
  1.24  operations designed to reduce emergency response time including, 
  1.25  but not limited to, advance train warning systems and 
  2.1   construction of emergency services facilities (fire, police, and 
  2.2   ambulance) to improve response time. 
  2.3      (b) Of the amount appropriated in paragraph (a), 
  2.4   $25,000,000 must be allocated to each city in proportion to the 
  2.5   city's population based on the most recent estimate or census 
  2.6   count by the state demographer.  The cities are Winona, 
  2.7   Goodview, Stockton, Lewiston, Utica, St. Charles, Dover, Eyota, 
  2.8   Rochester, Byron, Kasson, Dodge Center, Claremont, Owatonna, 
  2.9   Waseca, Janesville, Eagle Lake, Mankato, New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, 
  2.10  Cobden, Springfield, Sanborn, Lamberton, Revere, Walnut Grove, 
  2.11  Tracy, Garvin, Balaton, Tyler, and Lake Benton. 
  2.12     (c) Of the amount appropriated in paragraph (a), 
  2.13  $25,000,000 must be allocated to each city listed in paragraph 
  2.14  (b), and to the counties of Winona, Olmsted, Dodge, Steele, 
  2.15  Waseca, Blue Earth, Brown, Redwood, Lyon, and Lincoln, in 
  2.16  proportion to each city's and county's total traffic exposures, 
  2.17  as determined by the commissioner of transportation.  This 
  2.18  appropriation is not available until actual construction of the 
  2.19  federal Service Transportation Board approved DM&E railroad 
  2.20  project has begun. 
  2.21     Sec. 2.  [BOND SALE.] 
  2.22     To provide the money appropriated in section 1 from the 
  2.23  bond proceeds fund, the commissioner of finance shall sell and 
  2.24  issue bonds of the state in an amount up to $50,000,000 in the 
  2.25  manner, on the terms, and with the effect prescribed by 
  2.26  Minnesota Statutes, sections 16A.631 to 16A.675, and by the 
  2.27  Minnesota Constitution, article XI, sections 4 to 7. 
  2.28     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.29     Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
  2.30  enactment.