This bill amends Minnesota Statutes to clarify the designation of responsible authorities for light rail transit projects. Specifically, it modifies section 473.3993, subdivision 4, to define "responsible authority" as the Council or a county board of a metropolitan county, removing the previous language that allowed for only one of these entities. Additionally, section 473.3994, subdivision 1a, is amended to require the governor to designate either the Council or a county board as the responsible authority for each proposed light rail transit facility. If the facility is entirely within a single metropolitan area county, the county board of that county must be designated as responsible for all aspects of the project.

The bill also includes an effective date provision stating that these changes will take effect the day following final enactment and will apply to projects that enter into full funding grant agreements on or after that date. This aims to streamline the process of designating responsible authorities and ensure that local governance is appropriately involved in light rail transit projects within metropolitan areas.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 473.3993, 473.3994