1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; modifying the child care
1.3 	assistance income eligibility provisions; establishing
1.4 	a provider rate differential for accreditation;
1.5 	temporarily suspending child care license fees;
1.6 	modifying the child care assistance parent fee
1.7 	schedule; amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections
1.8 	119B.09, subdivision 1; 119B.13, by adding a
1.9 	subdivision; 245A.10, by adding a subdivision;
1.10 	repealing Laws 2003, First Special Session chapter 14,
1.11 	article 9, section 36.
1.12 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.13 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 119B.09,
1.14 	subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.15 		Subdivision 1.General eligibility requirements for all
1.16 	applicants for child care assistance.  (a) Child care services
1.17 	must be available to families who need child care to find or
1.18 	keep employment or to obtain the training or education necessary
1.19 	to find employment and who:
1.20 	(1) meet the requirements of section 119B.05; receive MFIP
1.21 	assistance; and are participating in employment and training
1.22 	services under chapter 256J or 256K;
1.23 	(2) have household income below the eligibility levels for
1.24 	MFIP; or
1.25 	(3) have household income less than or equal to 175 percent
1.26 	of the federal poverty guidelines, adjusted for family size, at
1.27 	program entry and less than 250 percent of the federal poverty
1.28 	guidelines, adjusted for family size, at program exit.
2.1 	(b) Child care services must be made available as in-kind
2.2 	services.
2.3 	(c) All applicants for child care assistance and families
2.4 	currently receiving child care assistance must be assisted and
2.5 	required to cooperate in establishment of paternity and
2.6 	enforcement of child support obligations for all children in the
2.7 	family as a condition of program eligibility.  For purposes of
2.8 	this section, a family is considered to meet the requirement for
2.9 	cooperation when the family complies with the requirements of
2.10 	section 256.741.
2.11 	
EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2005.

2.12 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 119B.13, is
2.13 	amended by adding a subdivision to read:
2.14 		Subd. 3a.Provider rate differential for
2.15 	accreditation. A family child care provider or child care
2.16 	center shall be paid a 15 percent differential above the maximum
2.17 	rate established in subdivision 1, up to the actual provider
2.18 	rate, if the provider or center holds a current early childhood
2.19 	development credential or is accredited.  For a family child
2.20 	care provider, early childhood development credential and
2.21 	accreditation includes an individual who has earned a child
2.22 	development associate degree, a diploma in child development
2.23 	from a Minnesota state technical college, or a bachelor's degree
2.24 	in early childhood education from an accredited college or
2.25 	university, or who is accredited by the National Association for
2.26 	Family Child Care or the Competency Based Training and
2.27 	Assessment Program.  For a child care center, accreditation
2.28 	includes accreditation by the National Association for the
2.29 	Education of Young Children, the Council on Accreditation, the
2.30 	National Early Childhood Program Accreditation, the National
2.31 	School-Age Care Association, or the National Head Start
2.32 	Association Program of Excellence.  For Montessori programs,
2.33 	accreditation includes the American Montessori Society,
2.34 	Association of Montessori International-USA, or the National
2.35 	Center for Montessori Education.
2.36 	
EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2005.

3.1 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 245A.10, is
3.2 	amended by adding a subdivision to read:
3.3 		Subd. 7.Temporary suspension of child care license
3.4 	fees. County fees for background studies and licensing
3.5 	inspections in family and group family child care under
3.6 	subdivision 2 and annual child care center license fees under
3.7 	subdivision 4 are suspended.  The commissioner shall use
3.8 	unallocated federal child care development fund money from the
3.9 	2004-2005 biennium to reimburse the state and counties for the
3.10 	reduced child care licensure fee revenue due to the temporary
3.11 	suspension.  The commissioner shall also set a standard
3.12 	statewide license and background study fee for family child care
3.13 	providers based on the average fees currently being charged.
3.14 	This subdivision expires on June 30, 2007.
3.15 	
EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2005.

3.16 	Sec. 4. PARENT FEE SCHEDULE.
 3.17 	Notwithstanding Minnesota Rules, part 3400.0100, subpart 4,
3.18 	the parent fee schedule is as follows:
3.19 	Income Range (as a Co-payment (as a
3.20 	percent of the federal percentage of adjusted
3.21 	poverty guidelines) gross income) 
3.22 	0-74.99% $0/month
3.23 	75.00-99.99% $5/month
3.24 	100.00-104.99% 2.61%
3.25 	105.00-109.99% 2.61%
3.26 	110.00-114.99% 2.61%
3.27 	115.00-119.99% 2.61%
3.28 	120.00-124.99% 2.91%
3.29 	125.00-129.99% 2.91%
3.30 	130.00-134.99% 2.91%
3.31 	135.00-139.99% 2.91%
3.32 	140.00-144.99% 3.21%
3.33 	145.00-149.99% 3.21%
3.34 	150.00-154.99% 3.21%
3.35 	155.00-159.99% 3.84%
3.36 	160.00-164.99% 3.84%
3.37 	165.00-169.99% 4.46%
4.1 	170.00-174.99% 4.76%
4.2 	175.00-179.99% 5.05%
4.3 	180.00-184.99% 5.65%
4.4 	185.00-189.99% 5.95%
4.5 	190.00-194.99% 6.24%
4.6 	195.00-199.99% 6.84%
4.7 	200.00-204.99% 7.58%
4.8 	205.00-209.99% 8.33%
4.9 	210.00-214.99% 9.20%
4.10 	215.00-219.99% 10.07%
4.11 	220.00-224.99% 10.94%
4.12 	225.00-229.99% 11.55%
4.13 	230.00-234.99% 12.16%
4.14 	235.00-239.99% 12.77%
4.15 	240.00-244.99% 13.38%
4.16 	245.00-249.99% 14.00%
4.17 	          250% ineligible 
4.18 	A family's monthly co-payment fee is the fixed percentage
4.19 	established for the income range multiplied by the highest
4.20 	possible income within that income range.

4.21 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2005.

4.22 	Sec. 5. REPEALER.
 4.23 	Laws 2003, First Special Session chapter 14, article 9,
4.24 	section 36, is repealed.