Transportation Finance and Policy

This bill modifies Minnesota's school bus regulations by updating the definition of school buses to include vehicles used for employee training, clarifying weight classifications for different bus types, and requiring USDOT identification numbers on all school buses. It also adjusts first aid kit requirements for school buses and authorizes the use of school buses on public roads for training purposes under specific conditions. Additionally, the bill maintains existing safety rules requiring vehicles to stop at least 20 feet away from stopped school buses with flashing red lights and prohibits non-school buses from being painted yellow or equipped with school bus markings.

This bill designates a specific segment of Trunk Highway 58 in Zumbrota as the "Officer/Firefighter Gary L. Schroeder, Jr. Memorial Highway." It directly affects the public traveling that highway segment by renaming it in honor of a fallen public safety officer. The key provision requires the state transportation commissioner to adopt signage designating the highway and erect appropriate markers, as specified in Minnesota Statutes. This is a symbolic, non-policy change to commemorate an individual.

This bill modifies Minnesota State Patrol compensation requirements by updating how salary surveys are conducted and how certain expenses are reimbursed. It requires the legislative auditor to perform a compensation and benefits survey every odd-numbered year for police departments in cities with over 25,000 residents in metropolitan counties, first-class cities, and the State Patrol. The survey must include base salary, overtime wages, premium pay, and all benefits like insurance and retirement contributions, with results reported to relevant legislative committees. Additionally, the bill clarifies that salary adjustments for supervisory ranks must be proportionate to those made for patrol troopers based on survey findings. The legislation also updates the definition of patrol troopers to include lieutenants and removes the 2030 survey deadline, extending the requirement to every odd-numbered year thereafter.

This bill modifies Minnesota's ignition interlock program requirements and strengthens privacy protections for driver's license data. It establishes specific license revocation periods for out-of-state impaired driving convictions, requiring longer revocations for repeat offenders who must complete ignition interlock device programs. The legislation also classifies certain driver's license indicators as private data, limits how the Department of Public Safety can share this information with federal agencies, and allows individuals to request that their residence addresses be marked as private data for safety reasons. These changes directly affect drivers' license holders, the Department of Public Safety, and law enforcement agencies that handle driver records.

This bill creates a new special license plate program for Minnesota Main Streets, allowing vehicle owners to display plates featuring the phrase "Legendary Landmarks." To qualify for these plates, applicants must pay standard registration fees, contribute a minimum of $30 annually, and own a passenger car, pickup truck, motorcycle, or recreational vehicle. The money collected from these annual contributions will be placed in a dedicated account and used to fund the Minnesota Main Streets program. The plates can be transferred to another eligible vehicle owned by the same person for a $5 fee, and the program will begin issuing plates on January 1, 2027.