Subdivision 1. State agency. The commissioner of employment and economic development is designated the "state agency" as defined by United States Code, title 29, section 49c, the Wagner-Peyser Act, as amended.

Subd. 2. Duties; authorizations; limitations. (a) The commissioner of employment and economic development shall:

(1) provide regional development commissions, the Metropolitan Council, and units of local government with information, technical assistance, training, and advice on using federal and state programs;

(2) receive and administer the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program authorized by Congress under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended;

(3) receive and administer the section 107 technical assistance program grants authorized by Congress under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended;

(4) receive, administer, and supervise other state and federal grants and grant programs for planning, community affairs, community development purposes, employment and training services, and other state and federal programs assigned to the department by law or by the governor in accordance with section 4.07;

(5) receive applications for state and federal grants and grant programs for planning, community affairs, and community development purposes, and other state and federal programs assigned to the department by law or by the governor in accordance with section 4.07;

(6) act as the agent of, and cooperate with, the federal government in matters of mutual concern, including the administration of any federal funds granted to the state to aid in the performance of functions of the commissioner;

(7) provide consistent, integrated employment and training services across the state;

(8) administer the Wagner-Peyser Act, the Workforce Investment Act, and other federal employment and training programs;

(9) establish the standards for all employment and training services administered under this chapter and chapters 116L, 248, 268, and 268A;

(10) administer the aspects of the Minnesota family investment program, general assistance, and food stamps that relate to employment and training services, subject to the contract under section 116L.86, subdivision 1;

(11) obtain reports from local service units and service providers for the purpose of evaluating the performance of employment and training services;

(12) as requested, certify employment and training services, and decertify services that fail to comply with performance criteria according to standards established by the commissioner;

(13) develop standards for the contents and structure of the local service unit plans and plans for Indian tribe employment and training services, review and comment on those plans, and approve or disapprove the plans;

(14) supervise the county boards of commissioners, local service units, and any other units of government designated in federal or state law as responsible for employment and training programs;

(15) establish administrative standards and payment conditions for providers of employment and training services;

(16) enter into agreements with Indian tribes as necessary to provide employment and training services as appropriate funds become available;

(17) cooperate with the federal government and its employment and training agencies in any reasonable manner as necessary to qualify for federal aid for employment and training services and money;

(18) administer and supervise all forms of unemployment insurance provided for under federal and state laws;

(19) provide current state and substate labor market information and forecasts, in cooperation with other agencies;

(20) require all general employment and training programs that receive state funds to make available information about opportunities for women in nontraditional careers in the trades and technical occupations;

(21) consult with the Rehabilitation Council for the Blind on matters pertaining to programs and services for the blind and visually impaired;

(22) enter into agreements with other departments of the state and local units of government as necessary;

(23) establish and maintain administrative units necessary to perform administrative functions common to all divisions of the department;

(24) investigate, study, and undertake ways and means of promoting and encouraging the prosperous development and protection of the legitimate interest and welfare of Minnesota business, industry, and commerce, within and outside the state;

(25) locate markets for manufacturers and processors and aid merchants in locating and contacting markets;

(26) as necessary or useful for the proper execution of the powers and duties of the commissioner in promoting and developing Minnesota business, industry, and commerce, both within and outside the state, investigate and study conditions affecting Minnesota business, industry, and commerce; collect and disseminate information; and engage in technical studies, scientific investigations, statistical research, and educational activities;

(27) plan and develop an effective business information service both for the direct assistance of business and industry of the state and for the encouragement of business and industry outside the state to use economic facilities within the state;

(28) compile, collect, and develop periodically, or otherwise make available, information relating to current business conditions;

(29) conduct or encourage research designed to further new and more extensive uses of the natural and other resources of the state and designed to develop new products and industrial processes;

(30) study trends and developments in the industries of the state and analyze the reasons underlying the trends;

(31) study costs and other factors affecting successful operation of businesses within the state;

(32) make recommendations regarding circumstances promoting or hampering business and industrial development;

(33) serve as a clearing house for business and industrial problems of the state;

(34) advise small business enterprises regarding improved methods of accounting and bookkeeping;

(35) cooperate with interstate commissions engaged in formulating and promoting the adoption of interstate compacts and agreements helpful to business, industry, and commerce;

(36) cooperate with other state departments and with boards, commissions, and other state agencies in the preparation and coordination of plans and policies for the development of the state and for the use and conservation of its resources insofar as the use, conservation, and development may be appropriately directed or influenced by a state agency;

(37) in connection with state, county, and municipal public works projects, assemble and coordinate information relative to the status, scope, cost, and employment possibilities and availability of materials, equipment, and labor, and recommend limitations on the public works;

(38) gather current progress information with reference to public and private works projects of the state and its political subdivisions with reference to conditions of employment;

(39) inquire into and report to the governor, when requested by the governor, with respect to any program of public state improvements and its financing; and request and obtain information from other state departments or agencies as may be needed for the report;

(40) study changes in population and current trends and prepare plans and suggest policies for the development and conservation of the resources of the state;

(41) confer and cooperate with the executive, legislative, or planning authorities of the United States, neighboring states and provinces, and the counties and municipalities of neighboring states, for the purpose of bringing about a coordination between the development of neighboring provinces, states, counties, and municipalities and the development of this state;

(42) generally gather, compile, and make available statistical information relating to business, trade, commerce, industry, transportation, communication, natural resources, and other like subjects in this state, with authority to call upon other state departments for statistical data and results obtained by them and to arrange and compile that statistical information in a reasonable manner;

(43) publish documents and annually convene regional meetings to inform businesses, local government units, assistance providers, and other interested persons of changes in state and federal law related to economic development;

(44) annually convene conferences of providers of economic development-related financial and technical assistance for the purposes of exchanging information on economic development assistance, coordinating economic development activities, and formulating economic development strategies;

(45) provide business with information on the economic benefits of energy conservation and on the availability of energy conservation assistance;

(46) as part of the biennial budget process, prepare performance measures for each business loan or grant program within the jurisdiction of the commissioner. Measures include source of funds for each program, number of jobs proposed or promised at the time of application and the number of jobs created, estimated number of jobs retained, the average salary and benefits for the jobs resulting from the program, and the number of projects approved;

(47) provide a continuous program of education for business people;

(48) publish, disseminate, and distribute information and statistics;

(49) promote and encourage the expansion and development of markets for Minnesota products;

(50) promote and encourage the location and development of new businesses in the state as well as the maintenance and expansion of existing businesses and for that purpose cooperate with state and local agencies and individuals, both within and outside the state;

(51) advertise and disseminate information as to natural resources, desirable locations, and other advantages for the purpose of attracting businesses to locate in this state;

(52) aid the various communities in this state in attracting business to their communities;

(53) advise and cooperate with municipal, county, regional, and other planning agencies and planning groups within the state for the purpose of promoting coordination between the state and localities as to plans and development in order to maintain a high level of gainful employment in private profitable production and achieve commensurate advancement in social and cultural welfare;

(54) coordinate the activities of statewide and local planning agencies, correlate information secured from them and from state departments and disseminate information and suggestions to the planning agencies;

(55) encourage and assist in the organization and functioning of local planning agencies where none exist; and

(56) adopt measures calculated to promote public interest in and understanding of the problems of planning and, to that end, may publish and distribute copies of any plan or any report and may employ other means of publicity and education that will give full effect to the provisions of sections 116J.60 to 116J.63.

(b) At the request of any governmental subdivision in paragraph (a), clause (53), the commissioner may provide planning assistance, which includes but is not limited to surveys, land use studies, urban renewal plans, technical services and other planning work to any city or other municipality in the state or perform similar planning work in any county or metropolitan or regional area in the state. The commissioner must not perform the planning work with respect to a metropolitan or regional area which is under the jurisdiction for planning purposes of a county, metropolitan, regional, or joint planning body, except at the request or with the consent of the respective county, metropolitan, regional, or joint planning body.

(c) The commissioner is authorized to:

(1) receive and expend money from municipal, county, regional, and other planning agencies;

(2) accept and disburse grants and other aids for planning purposes from the federal government and from other public or private sources;

(3) utilize money received under clause (2) for the employment of consultants and other temporary personnel to assist in the supervision or performance of planning work supported by money other than state-appropriated money;

(4) enter into contracts with agencies of the federal government, units of local government or combinations thereof, and with private persons that are necessary in the performance of the planning assistance function of the commissioner; and

(5) assist any local government unit in filling out application forms for the federal grants-in-aid.

(d) In furtherance of its planning functions, any city or town, however organized, may expend money and contract with agencies of the federal government, appropriate departments of state government, other local units of government, and with private persons.

Subd. 3. Classification of data on individuals. Data collected on individuals pursuant to a program operated by the commissioner are private data on individuals as defined in section 13.02, subdivision 12, unless more restrictively classified by law.

History: 1984 c 558 art 4 s 4; 1Sp1985 c 14 art 9 s 40; 1987 c 312 art 1 s 26; 1987 c 403 art 2 s 129,130; art 3 s 50; 1989 c 282 art 5 s 123,124; 1993 c 172 s 78; 1994 c 483 s 1; 1995 c 248 art 11 s 19; 1995 c 259 art 1 s 40; 1996 c 339 s 2,3; 1997 c 7 art 5 s 34; 1997 c 66 s 80; 1997 c 85 art 4 s 26; 1997 c 245 art 4 s 6; 1998 c 265 s 2; 1998 c 366 s 65; 1999 c 107 s 66; 1999 c 159 s 119; 2000 c 343 s 4; 2001 c 79 s 3; 2001 c 175 s 52; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 10 s 61; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 113; 1Sp2003 c 4 s 1; 1Sp2003 c 14 art 1 s 106; 2004 c 206 s 12,40,52; 2009 c 78 art 2 s 6; 2010 c 382 s 20