| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
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| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 relating to transportation; authorizing research on autonomous mower technology |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 by the Department of Transportation; requiring a report; appropriating money. |
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| 4 | 4 | | 1.4BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
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| 5 | 5 | | 1.5 Section 1. AUTONOMOUS MOWERS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT . |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 Subdivision 1.Definitions.(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have |
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| 7 | 7 | | 1.7the meanings given. |
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| 8 | 8 | | 1.8 (b) "Autonomous mower" means a robotic or automated device designed, programmed, |
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| 9 | 9 | | 1.9and operated to cut grass or vegetation with predefined routes to minimize the need for |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1.10manual assistance or intervention. |
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| 11 | 11 | | 1.11 (c) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of transportation. |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1.12 (d) "Department" means the Minnesota Department of Transportation. |
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| 13 | 13 | | 1.13 Subd. 2.Research and development authorized.(a) The commissioner must conduct |
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| 14 | 14 | | 1.14research on the use of automation and robotics for mowing and vegetation management at |
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| 15 | 15 | | 1.15property owned by the department. The research must examine the use of autonomous |
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| 16 | 16 | | 1.16mower technology at the following locations: |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1.17 (1) rest areas; |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1.18 (2) highway rights-of-way, including ditches, shoulders, or other varied or sloped terrain; |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1.19or |
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| 20 | 20 | | 1.20 (3) other roadside or public-facing property owned by the department. |
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| 21 | 21 | | 1Section 1. |
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| 31 | 30 | | 2.2or vegetation management by other states or government entities. The research conducted |
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| 32 | 31 | | 2.3under this section must analyze different configurations and types of autonomous mowers, |
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| 33 | 32 | | 2.4including mowers that require different levels of human intervention, to research for future |
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| 34 | 33 | | 2.5statewide deployment at rest areas, at or along the trunk highway system, or on other property |
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| 35 | 34 | | 2.6owned by the department. |
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| 36 | 35 | | 2.7 (c) The commissioner must research the current and potential commercial availability |
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| 37 | 36 | | 2.8of autonomous mowing products used by public or private entities for applications that |
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| 38 | 37 | | 2.9include but are not limited to rest area mowing, highway right-of-way ditch mowing, |
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| 39 | 38 | | 2.10vegetation management, or other applications related to property or roadside maintenance. |
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| 40 | 39 | | 2.11 (d) The commissioner must include research on Minnesota-based companies engaged |
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| 41 | 40 | | 2.12in autonomous mower technology. If the commissioner elects to purchase autonomous |
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| 42 | 41 | | 2.13mower technology for research under this section, the commissioner must purchase the |
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| 43 | 42 | | 2.14technology from a Minnesota-based company. |
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| 44 | 43 | | 2.15 (e) The research must analyze whether an autonomous mower can operate safely in |
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| 45 | 44 | | 2.16varied terrain, including ditches, and navigate obstacles such as culvert ends, guardrails, |
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| 46 | 45 | | 2.17signposts, other barriers, and unexpected debris that may be found on or alongside a highway |
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| 47 | 46 | | 2.18right-of-way. The research must examine the potential impact of autonomous mowing |
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| 48 | 47 | | 2.19technology on worker safety and maintenance staffing needs. |
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| 49 | 48 | | 2.20 (f) The commissioner must propose an autonomous mower pilot project to further study |
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| 50 | 49 | | 2.21and examine the challenges to implementing autonomous mower technology into roadside |
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| 51 | 50 | | 2.22vegetation management activities. The proposed pilot project must include the proposed |
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| 52 | 51 | | 2.23location for the pilot project, the autonomous mower activities examined, and the anticipated |
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| 53 | 52 | | 2.24timeline for implementation of the proposed pilot project. |
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| 54 | 53 | | 2.25 Subd. 3.Report.By February 15, 2027, the commissioner must submit a report to the |
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| 55 | 54 | | 2.26chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over |
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| 56 | 55 | | 2.27transportation finance and policy on the results of the autonomous mower research authorized |
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| 57 | 56 | | 2.28in subdivision 2. The report must include: |
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| 58 | 57 | | 2.29 (1) information and analysis of other governmental agencies or private entities using |
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| 59 | 58 | | 2.30autonomous mowing operations; |
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| 60 | 59 | | 2.31 (2) the commissioner's detailed plan for conducting a pilot project with autonomous |
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| 61 | 60 | | 2.32mowing technology, once available, at rest areas; at or alongside trunk highway |
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| 62 | 61 | | 2.33rights-of-way, including ditches, shoulders, and other terrain; and at other properties owned |
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| 63 | 62 | | 2.34by the department; |
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| 64 | 63 | | 2Section 1. |
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| 66 | 65 | | 3.2established in subdivision 2, paragraph (f); |
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| 67 | 66 | | 3.3 (4) a cost-benefit analysis of whether autonomous mowing technology can yield |
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| 68 | 67 | | 3.4productivity or efficiency gains in maintenance of department property compared to |
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| 69 | 68 | | 3.5traditional methods of mowing; |
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| 70 | 69 | | 3.6 (5) an analysis of whether the operation of autonomous mowing technology by the |
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| 71 | 70 | | 3.7department would yield improvements compared to traditional mowing methods in worker |
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| 72 | 71 | | 3.8safety, congestion, environmental impact outcomes, cost savings, maintenance scheduling, |
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| 73 | 72 | | 3.9or any other factor deemed relevant by the commissioner; and |
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| 74 | 73 | | 3.10 (6) an analysis of the costs and any other short-term or long-term challenges posed by |
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| 75 | 74 | | 3.11the pilot project or the future operation of autonomous mowing technology on property |
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| 76 | 75 | | 3.12owned by the department. |
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| 77 | 76 | | 3.13 Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION. |
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| 78 | | - | 3.14 $150,000 in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the trunk highway fund to the |
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| 79 | | - | 3.15commissioner of transportation for autonomous mowing research and the purchase of |
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| 80 | | - | 3.16autonomous mowing equipment. The commissioner must use at least a portion of this |
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| 81 | | - | 3.17appropriation to purchase an autonomous mower suitable for commercial mowing operations. |
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| 82 | | - | 3.18The autonomous mower must be purchased from a company based in Minnesota. |
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| 77 | + | 3.14 $150,000 in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner |
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| 78 | + | 3.15of transportation for autonomous mowing research and the purchase of autonomous mowing |
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| 79 | + | 3.16equipment. The commissioner must use at least a portion of this appropriation to purchase |
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| 80 | + | 3.17an autonomous mower suitable for commercial mowing operations. The autonomous mower |
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| 81 | + | 3.18must be purchased from a company based in Minnesota. |
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