This bill focuses on enhancing work zone safety and modifying requirements for provisional driver's licenses in Minnesota. It introduces a new subdivision to Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 161.32, mandating that contracts for trunk highway construction, reconstruction, or maintenance that involve live traffic must include a bid item for flagging hours. Additionally, it establishes a work zone and first responder safety course that must be completed by provisional license applicants, which will be at least 30 minutes long and provided online. The bill also requires the inclusion of work zone safety information in the driver's manual and mandates the commissioner of transportation to implement a billboard design contest aimed at educating youth about work zone safety.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the requirements for obtaining a provisional driver's license by specifying that applicants must complete the aforementioned safety course and clarifying the conditions under which a provisional license may be denied. The language in section 171.055 is amended to ensure that individuals with certain past convictions are ineligible for a provisional license if they did not possess an instruction permit at the time of the violation. The effective dates for these provisions vary, with some taking effect on August 1, 2025, and others on August 1, 2026, while the driver's manual updates are effective immediately following final enactment.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 161.32, 171.055, 171.0701, 171.0705