A bill for an act
relating to state finance; establishing a tax-forfeited lands settlement account;
appropriating money; transferring money; proposing coding for new law in
Minnesota Statutes, chapter 282.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given.
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(b) "Applicable start date" means:
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(1) for Hennepin County, August 16, 2012;
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(2) for Saint Louis County, June 2, 2016; and
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(3) for all other counties, June 23, 2016.
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(c) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of management and budget.
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(d) "Participating county" means a county that:
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(1) elects to participate in the settlement;
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(2) agrees to provide the commissioner with all public property tax records reasonably
necessary to effectuate the settlement agreement by August 1, 2024;
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(3) agrees to make a good faith effort to sell all properties that forfeited between the
applicable start date and December 31, 2023, other than those that were classified as
conservation lands during that period and those in which title is no longer held in trust by
the state of Minnesota for taxing districts;
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(4) agrees that for any sale made under clause (3):
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(i) the sale will be made in accordance with the first two sentences of section 282.01,
subdivision 4, paragraph (a);
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(ii) the sale will be for cash only and not on terms; and
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(iii) notwithstanding any provision of chapter 282 to the contrary, 75 percent of the
proceeds of the sale will be remitted to the commissioner for deposit in the tax-forfeited
lands settlement account; and
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(5) agrees that any properties subject to sale under clause (3) that remain unsold on June
30, 2026, must continue to be managed under the laws governing tax-forfeited lands until
they are disposed of under those laws.
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(e) "Settlement" means the agreement and order entered on ......., 2024, settling litigation
related to the state's retention of tax-forfeited lands, surplus proceeds from the sale of
tax-forfeited lands, and mineral rights in those lands.
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The tax-forfeited lands settlement account is established in the
special revenue fund. The account consists of money transferred to the account and money
deposited in the account under the terms of the settlement.
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Money in the tax-forfeited lands settlement account is
appropriated to the commissioner of management and budget to make payments under the
terms of the settlement for properties located in participating counties. The total amount of
payments under this subdivision must not exceed $109,000,000.
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A county that is not a participating county retains
all risk of liability for claims related to properties forfeited before January 1, 2024. The
state of Minnesota is not financially responsible for claims related to those properties and
may seek indemnification from counties that are not participating counties for any expenses
or judgments related to those properties.
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Any remaining balance in the account on
June 30, 2027, is transferred to the general fund.
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This section expires July 1, 2027.
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This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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$109,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 is transferred from the general fund to the tax-forfeited
lands settlement account in the special revenue fund. This is a onetime transfer.
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This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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