HF 2329

as introduced - 83rd Legislature (2003 - 2004) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to human services; modifying child care 
  1.3             assistance income eligibility levels; appropriating 
  1.4             money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2003 Supplement, 
  1.5             section 119B.09, subdivision 1. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [PURPOSE.] 
  1.8      Whereas the 2003 legislature drastically reduced income 
  1.9   eligibility levels for child care assistance programs for 
  1.10  low-income, working families; and whereas Minnesota went from 
  1.11  ranking 4th among the states to 29th in child care income 
  1.12  eligibility levels; and whereas Minnesota now ranks below 
  1.13  Mississippi in child care income eligibility levels; and whereas 
  1.14  Mississippi ranks dead last in the nation for child well-being; 
  1.15  and whereas the purpose of the child care assistance program is 
  1.16  to help low-income families to work and become self-sufficient 
  1.17  while providing children with quality child care; the 
  1.18  legislature finds that it is a priority to assist low-income 
  1.19  Minnesota families, at a minimum, at the same income eligibility 
  1.20  levels as the state of Mississippi. 
  1.21     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2003 Supplement, section 
  1.22  119B.09, subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.23     Subdivision 1.  [GENERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL 
  1.24  APPLICANTS FOR CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE.] (a) Child care services 
  1.25  must be available to families who need child care to find or 
  2.1   keep employment or to obtain the training or education necessary 
  2.2   to find employment and who: 
  2.3      (1) meet the requirements of section 119B.05; receive MFIP 
  2.4   assistance; and are participating in employment and training 
  2.5   services under chapter 256J or 256K; 
  2.6      (2) have household income below the eligibility levels for 
  2.7   MFIP; or 
  2.8      (3) have household income less than or equal to 175 205 
  2.9   percent of the federal poverty guidelines, adjusted for family 
  2.10  size, at program entry and less than 250 percent of the federal 
  2.11  poverty guidelines, adjusted for family size, at program exit. 
  2.12     (b) Child care services must be made available as in-kind 
  2.13  services.  
  2.14     (c) All applicants for child care assistance and families 
  2.15  currently receiving child care assistance must be assisted and 
  2.16  required to cooperate in establishment of paternity and 
  2.17  enforcement of child support obligations for all children in the 
  2.18  family as a condition of program eligibility.  For purposes of 
  2.19  this section, a family is considered to meet the requirement for 
  2.20  cooperation when the family complies with the requirements of 
  2.21  section 256.741. 
  2.22     [EFFECTIVE DATE.] This section is effective July 1, 2004. 
  2.23     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  2.24     For basic sliding fee child care assistance under Minnesota 
  2.25  Statutes, section 119B.03: 
  2.26          $1,000,000       2004
  2.27          $1,000,000       2005
  2.28     These appropriations are in addition to the appropriations 
  2.29  made in Laws 2003, First Special Session chapter 14, article 
  2.30  13C, section 10, subdivision 2. 
  2.31     [EFFECTIVE DATE.] This section is effective the day 
  2.32  following final enactment.