1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to county jails; authorizing the purchase of 
  1.3             prescription drugs from foreign nations for county 
  1.4             jail inmates under certain circumstances; providing 
  1.5             health care insurance coverage or health care services 
  1.6             to county jail inmates; directing the commissioner of 
  1.7             administration to issue a request for bids relating to 
  1.8             providing health care insurance or health care 
  1.9             services to county jail inmates; requiring a report to 
  1.10            the legislature; amending Minnesota Statutes 2002, 
  1.11            section 641.15, by adding a subdivision. 
  1.12  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.13     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 641.15, is 
  1.14  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.15     Subd. 2a.  [PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.] To the extent that a state 
  1.16  agency implements an initiative that allows consumers to 
  1.17  purchase prescription drugs from pharmacies in a foreign nation 
  1.18  or foreign nations, the county board must be allowed to purchase 
  1.19  prescription drugs for county jail inmates. 
  1.20     Sec. 2.  [ISSUANCE OF REQUEST FOR BIDS; COUNTY JAIL INMATE 
  1.21  HEALTH CARE; FEASIBILITY STUDY.] 
  1.22     (a) The commissioner of administration, in consultation 
  1.23  with the commissioner of corrections, must issue a request for 
  1.24  bids by August 1, 2004, to provide health care insurance 
  1.25  coverage or health care services to inmates housed in county 
  1.26  jails on and after July 1, 2005. 
  1.27     (b) The commissioner of corrections must prepare a report 
  1.28  that summarizes the bids received in response to the request 
  2.1   issued under paragraph (a) and identifies the cost to the 
  2.2   department of providing health care insurance or health care 
  2.3   services to inmates of county jail facilities.  The report 
  2.4   should also explain how the department would implement this 
  2.5   policy and address potential barriers to implementation of the 
  2.6   policy.  By January 15, 2005, the commissioner must submit the 
  2.7   report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the 
  2.8   legislative committees having jurisdiction over corrections and 
  2.9   judiciary policy and finance issues.