MN HF2917

Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission authorized to develop statewide or regional public skate parks and provide matching grants to local units of government for skate park construction.

Grant criteria include site selection based on demonstrated interest, accessibility to arterial highways or transit, equitable geographic distribution with 50 percent of grants to greater Minnesota communities, and $250,000 maximum grant per new facility.

Commission may enter into cooperative purchasing agreements with local governments to purchase skate park equipment and services through state contracts, with a revolving fund created to cover administrative expenses.

State liability modified to include loss incurred by users of Amateur Sports Commission facilities under Minnesota Tort Claims Act, and skateboarding added to definition of "recreational purpose" for private land liability protections.

$250,000 appropriated from general fund in fiscal year 2019 and $3,000,000 from bond proceeds for skate park grants, with additional $2,000,000 available for a statewide skate park; state authorized to issue up to $5,000,000 in bonds.