HF 3277

1st Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/24/2016 04:30pm

A bill for an act
relating to human services; changing certain reimbursement requirements of the
food stamp employment and training program; modifying certain appropriation
requirements of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 256D.051, subdivision 6b; Laws 2013, chapter
108, article 14, section 2, subdivision 1, as amended.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 256D.051, subdivision 6b, is amended to
read:

Subd. 6b.

Federal reimbursement.

new text begin (a) new text end Federal financial participation from
the United States Department of Agriculture for food stamp employment and training
expenditures that are eligible for reimbursement through the food stamp employment and
training program are dedicated funds and are annually appropriated to the commissioner
of human services for the operation of the food stamp employment and training program.

new text begin (b) The appropriation must be used for skill attainment through employment,
training, and support services for food stamp participants. Up to ten percent of the funds
may be used for the administrative cost of capturing additional federal reimbursement
dollars. By February 15, 2017, the commissioner shall report to the legislative committees
having jurisdiction over the food stamp program on the progress of securing additional
federal reimbursement dollars.
new text end

new text begin (c) new text end Federal financial participation for the nonstate portion of food stamp employment
and training costs must be paid to the county agency new text begin or other entity new text end that incurred the costs.

Sec. 2.

Laws 2013, chapter 108, article 14, section 2, subdivision 1, as amended by
Laws 2014, chapter 312, article 31, section 3, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1. Total Appropriation

$

6,437,815,000

$

6,456,311,000

Appropriations by Fund
	2014	2015
General	5,654,095,000	5,676,652,000
State Government Special Revenue	4,099,000	4,510,000
Health Care Access	519,816,000	518,446,000
Federal TANF	257,915,000	254,813,000
Lottery Prize Fund	1,890,000	1,890,000

Receipts for Systems Projects.
Appropriations and federal receipts for
information systems projects for MAXIS,
PRISM, MMIS, and SSIS must be deposited
in the state system account authorized
in Minnesota Statutes, section 256.014.
Money appropriated for computer projects
approved by the commissioner of Minnesota
information technology services, funded
by the legislature, and approved by the
commissioner of management and budget,
may be transferred from one project to
another and from development to operations
as the commissioner of human services
considers necessary. Any unexpended
balance in the appropriation for these
projects does not cancel but is available for
ongoing development and operations.

Nonfederal Share Transfers. The
nonfederal share of activities for which
federal administrative reimbursement is
appropriated to the commissioner may be
transferred to the special revenue fund.

ARRA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Benefit Increases. The funds provided for
food support benefit increases under the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
provisions of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 must be
used for benefit increases beginning July 1,
2009.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program Employment and Training.
deleted text begin (1) Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes,
sections 256D.051, subdivisions 1a, 6b,
and 6c, and 256J.626, federal Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance employment and
training funds received as reimbursement of
MFIP consolidated fund grant expenditures
for diversionary work program participants
and child care assistance program
expenditures must be deposited in the general
fund. The amount of funds must be limited to
$4,900,000 per year in fiscal years 2014 and
2015, and to $4,400,000 per year in fiscal
years 2016 and 2017, contingent on approval
by the federal Food and Nutrition Service.
deleted text end

deleted text begin (2) deleted text end Consistent with the receipt of the federal
funds, the commissioner may adjust the
level of working family credit expenditures
claimed as TANF maintenance of effort.
Notwithstanding any contrary provision in
this article, this rider expires June 30, 2017.

TANF Maintenance of Effort. (a) In order
to meet the basic maintenance of effort
(MOE) requirements of the TANF block grant
specified under Code of Federal Regulations,
title 45, section 263.1, the commissioner may
only report nonfederal money expended for
allowable activities listed in the following
clauses as TANF/MOE expenditures:

(1) MFIP cash, diversionary work program,
and food assistance benefits under Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 256J;

(2) the child care assistance programs
under Minnesota Statutes, sections 119B.03
and 119B.05, and county child care
administrative costs under Minnesota
Statutes, section 119B.15;

(3) state and county MFIP administrative
costs under Minnesota Statutes, chapters
256J and 256K;

(4) state, county, and tribal MFIP
employment services under Minnesota
Statutes, chapters 256J and 256K;

(5) expenditures made on behalf of legal
noncitizen MFIP recipients who qualify for
the MinnesotaCare program under Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 256L;

(6) qualifying working family credit
expenditures under Minnesota Statutes,
section 290.0671;

(7) qualifying Minnesota education credit
expenditures under Minnesota Statutes,
section 290.0674; and

(8) qualifying Head Start expenditures under
Minnesota Statutes, section 119A.50.

(b) The commissioner shall ensure that
sufficient qualified nonfederal expenditures
are made each year to meet the state's
TANF/MOE requirements. For the activities
listed in paragraph (a), clauses (2) to
(8), the commissioner may only report
expenditures that are excluded from the
definition of assistance under Code of
Federal Regulations, title 45, section 260.31.

(c) For fiscal years beginning with state fiscal
year 2003, the commissioner shall ensure
that the maintenance of effort used by the
commissioner of management and budget
for the February and November forecasts
required under Minnesota Statutes, section
16A.103, contains expenditures under
paragraph (a), clause (1), equal to at least 16
percent of the total required under Code of
Federal Regulations, title 45, section 263.1.

(d) The requirement in Minnesota Statutes,
section 256.011, subdivision 3, that federal
grants or aids secured or obtained under that
subdivision be used to reduce any direct
appropriations provided by law, do not apply
if the grants or aids are federal TANF funds.

(e) For the federal fiscal years beginning on
or after October 1, 2007, the commissioner
may not claim an amount of TANF/MOE in
excess of the 75 percent standard in Code
of Federal Regulations, title 45, section
263.1(a)(2), except:

(1) to the extent necessary to meet the 80
percent standard under Code of Federal
Regulations, title 45, section 263.1(a)(1),
if it is determined by the commissioner
that the state will not meet the TANF work
participation target rate for the current year;

(2) to provide any additional amounts
under Code of Federal Regulations, title 45,
section 264.5, that relate to replacement of
TANF funds due to the operation of TANF
penalties; and

(3) to provide any additional amounts that
may contribute to avoiding or reducing
TANF work participation penalties through
the operation of the excess MOE provisions
of Code of Federal Regulations, title 45,
section 261.43 (a)(2).

For the purposes of clauses (1) to (3),
the commissioner may supplement the
MOE claim with working family credit
expenditures or other qualified expenditures
to the extent such expenditures are otherwise
available after considering the expenditures
allowed in this subdivision and subdivisions
2 and 3.

(f) Notwithstanding any contrary provision
in this article, paragraphs (a) to (e) expire
June 30, 2017.

Working Family Credit Expenditures
as TANF/MOE. The commissioner may
claim as TANF maintenance of effort up to
$6,707,000 per year of working family credit
expenditures in each fiscal year.