This Minnesota House bill (H.F. No. 1977), authored by Representative Quam, proposes a new law requiring local approval before the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) can acquire easements for certain road projects.

Under the proposed Section 160.086, the bill defines key terms:
- "Easement" refers to acquiring or designating land for road construction, maintenance, or improvements.
- "Local approval" means authorization by a city, county, or town through either a formal resolution or a public vote in a general election.
- "Roadway project elements" include infrastructure developments such as capacity expansion, reconstruction, resurfacing, and motor vehicle-specific improvements on the state highway system.

The bill states that easements for road project improvements that do not fall under "roadway project elements" must be approved locally before certain state funds (from sections 85.53, 114D.50, and 129D.17) can be used for land acquisition.

Essentially, this legislation seeks to grant local governments greater control over MnDOT’s ability to acquire land for non-roadway-specific improvements in road projects.