1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to the legislature; amending the 
  1.3             responsibilities of the legislative commission on 
  1.4             children, youth, and their families; extending the 
  1.5             commission; appropriating money; amending Minnesota 
  1.6             Statutes 1994, section 3.873, subdivisions 1, 2, 5, 6, 
  1.7             7, 8, and 9. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 3.873, 
  1.10  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A legislative 
  1.12  commission on children, youth, and their families is established 
  1.13  to study state policy and legislation affecting children and 
  1.14  youth and their families.  The commission shall and make 
  1.15  recommendations about how to ensure and promote the present and 
  1.16  future well-being of Minnesota children and youth and their 
  1.17  families, including methods for helping state and local agencies 
  1.18  to work together.  
  1.19     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 3.873, 
  1.20  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.21     Subd. 2.  [MEMBERSHIP AND TERMS.] The commission consists 
  1.22  of 16 members that reflect a proportionate representation from 
  1.23  each party.  Eight members from the house shall be appointed by 
  1.24  the speaker of the house and eight members from the senate shall 
  1.25  be appointed by the subcommittee on committees of the committee 
  1.26  on rules and administration.  The membership must include 
  2.1   members of the following committees in the house and the 
  2.2   senate:  health and human services, family services, health 
  2.3   care, governmental operations and gaming, governmental 
  2.4   operations and reform, education, judiciary and crime 
  2.5   prevention, and ways and means or finance.  The commission must 
  2.6   have representatives from both rural and metropolitan areas.  
  2.7   The terms of the members are for two years beginning on January 
  2.8   1 of each odd-numbered year and continue until a replacement has 
  2.9   been appointed.  
  2.10     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 3.873, 
  2.11  subdivision 5, is amended to read: 
  2.12     Subd. 5.  [INFORMATION COLLECTION; INTERGOVERNMENTAL 
  2.13  COORDINATION.] (a) The commission may hold meetings and conduct 
  2.14  public hearings and otherwise collect data and information 
  2.15  necessary to its purposes. 
  2.16     (b) The commission may request information or assistance 
  2.17  from any state agency or officer to assist the commission in 
  2.18  performing its duties.  The agency or officer shall promptly 
  2.19  furnish any information or assistance requested.  
  2.20     (c) The secretary of the senate and the chief clerk of the 
  2.21  house shall provide the commission with a copy of each bill 
  2.22  introduced in the legislature concerning children, youth, and 
  2.23  their families. 
  2.24     (d) Before implementing new or substantially revised 
  2.25  programs relating to the subjects being studied by the 
  2.26  commission under subdivision 7, the commissioner responsible for 
  2.27  the program shall prepare an implementation plan for the program 
  2.28  and shall submit the plan to the commission for review and 
  2.29  comment.  The commission may advise and make recommendations to 
  2.30  the commissioner on the implementation of the program and may 
  2.31  request the changes or additions in the plan it deems 
  2.32  appropriate. 
  2.33     (e) By July 1, 1991, the responsible state agency 
  2.34  commissioners, including the commissioners of education, health, 
  2.35  human services, economic security, and corrections, shall 
  2.36  prepare data for presentation to the commission on the state 
  3.1   programs to be examined by the commission under subdivision 7, 
  3.2   paragraph (a). 
  3.3      (f) To facilitate coordination between executive and 
  3.4   legislative authorities, the commission shall meet with the 
  3.5   children's cabinet. 
  3.6      Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 3.873, 
  3.7   subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  3.8      Subd. 6.  [LEGISLATIVE REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.] The 
  3.9   commission shall make recommendations to the legislature to 
  3.10  implement combining education, and health and human services and 
  3.11  related support services provided to children and their families 
  3.12  by the departments of education, human services, health and 
  3.13  other state agencies into a single state department of children 
  3.14  and families to provide more effective and efficient services.  
  3.15  The commission also shall make recommendations to the 
  3.16  legislature or committees, as it deems appropriate to assist the 
  3.17  legislature in formulating legislation to provide a continuum of 
  3.18  services to children and families.  To facilitate coordination 
  3.19  between executive and legislative authorities, the commission 
  3.20  shall review and evaluate the plans and proposals of the 
  3.21  governor and state agencies on matters within the commission's 
  3.22  jurisdiction and shall provide the legislature with its analysis 
  3.23  and recommendations.  The commission shall report its final 
  3.24  recommendations under this subdivision and subdivision 7, 
  3.25  paragraph (a), by January 1, 1994.  The commission shall submit 
  3.26  an annual progress report by January 1 of each year. 
  3.27     Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 3.873, 
  3.28  subdivision 7, is amended to read: 
  3.29     Subd. 7.  [PRIORITIES.] The commission shall give priority 
  3.30  to studying, evaluating, and reporting to the legislature on the 
  3.31  matters described in this subdivision.  To the extent possible, 
  3.32  the commission shall consult with knowledgeable individuals in 
  3.33  communities throughout the state when developing recommendations 
  3.34  or preparing reports on these matters. including: 
  3.35     (a) The commission must study and report on (1) methods of 
  3.36  improving legislative consideration of children and family 
  4.1   issues and coordinating state agency programs relating to 
  4.2   children and families, including the desirability, feasibility, 
  4.3   and effects of creating a new state department of children's 
  4.4   services, or children and family services, in which would be 
  4.5   consolidated the responsibility for administering state programs 
  4.6   relating to children and families.; 
  4.7      (b) The commission must study and report on (2) methods of 
  4.8   consolidating or coordinating local health, correctional, 
  4.9   educational, job, and human services, to improve the efficiency 
  4.10  and effectiveness of services to children and families and to 
  4.11  eliminate duplicative and overlapping services.  The commission 
  4.12  shall evaluate and make recommendations on; 
  4.13     (3) programs and projects in this and other states that 
  4.14  encourage or require local jurisdictions to consolidate 
  4.15  collaborate in the delivery of services in schools or other 
  4.16  community centers to reduce the cost and improve the coverage 
  4.17  and accessibility of services.  The commission must study and 
  4.18  recommend specific effectiveness measures to accurately 
  4.19  determine the efficacy of programs and services provided to 
  4.20  children and their families.  The commission must consider and 
  4.21  recommend; 
  4.22     (4) how to transform fragmented, crisis-oriented delivery 
  4.23  systems focused on remediation services into flexible, 
  4.24  comprehensive, well-coordinated, and family-oriented delivery 
  4.25  systems focused on prevention services.  The commission must 
  4.26  review and evaluate what impact the classification of data has 
  4.27  on service providers' ability to anticipate and meet the full 
  4.28  range of families' needs.  The commission must report on; and 
  4.29     (5) any laws, rules, or procedures that interfere with the 
  4.30  effective delivery of community-based services to children and 
  4.31  families. 
  4.32     (c) The commission must study and report on methods of 
  4.33  improving and coordinating educational, social, and health care 
  4.34  services that assist children and families during the early 
  4.35  childhood years.  The commission's study must include an 
  4.36  evaluation of the following:  early childhood health and 
  5.1   development screening services, headstart, child care, early 
  5.2   childhood family education, and parents' involvement in programs 
  5.3   meeting the social, cognitive, physical, and emotional needs of 
  5.4   children.  
  5.5      (d) The commission must study and report on methods of 
  5.6   improving and coordinating the practices of judicial, 
  5.7   correctional, and social service agencies in placing juvenile 
  5.8   offenders and children who are in need of protective services or 
  5.9   treatment. 
  5.10     (e) The commission must study and recommend constructive 
  5.11  changes in preventive, community-based programs that encourage 
  5.12  children and youth to responsibly serve their community. 
  5.13     (f) The legislative commission on children, youth, and 
  5.14  their families and the children's cabinet must study and make 
  5.15  joint recommendations regarding a state-level governance 
  5.16  structure to deliver funding and coordinate policy for children 
  5.17  and their families.  These recommendations may include 
  5.18  structural changes to minimize barriers to and actively promote 
  5.19  collaborating and integrating services for children and families 
  5.20  in the community.  The commission and cabinet must jointly 
  5.21  evaluate the need for a new cabinet-level agency for children.  
  5.22  The commission and cabinet shall report their findings and 
  5.23  recommendations to the legislature by January 15, 1994. 
  5.24     Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 3.873, 
  5.25  subdivision 8, is amended to read: 
  5.26     Subd. 8.  [EXPENSES AND REIMBURSEMENTS.] The per diem and 
  5.27  mileage costs of the members of the commission must be 
  5.28  reimbursed as provided in section 3.101.  The health and human 
  5.29  services, family services, health care, governmental operations, 
  5.30  education, judiciary and crime prevention, and 
  5.31  appropriations ways and means or finance committees in the house 
  5.32  and the senate shall share equally the responsibility to pay 
  5.33  commission members' per diem and mileage costs from their 
  5.34  committee budgets. 
  5.35     Sec. 7.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 3.873, 
  5.36  subdivision 9, is amended to read: 
  6.1      Subd. 9.  [EXPIRATION.] The commission expires on June 
  6.2   30, 1995 1997. 
  6.3      Sec. 8.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  6.4      $....... is appropriated for the fiscal biennium ending 
  6.5   June 30, 1997, from the general fund to the legislative 
  6.6   coordinating commission for the purposes of the legislative 
  6.7   commission established in Minnesota Statutes, section 3.873.