1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to employee benefits; permitting political 
  1.3             subdivisions to define dependent for certain purposes; 
  1.4             amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 471.61, 
  1.5             subdivision 1a. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 471.61, 
  1.8   subdivision 1a, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 1a.  [DEPENDENTS.] Notwithstanding the provisions of 
  1.10  Minnesota Statutes 1969, section 471.61, as amended by Laws 
  1.11  1971, chapter 451, section 1, the word "dependents" as used 
  1.12  therein shall mean spouse and minor unmarried children under the 
  1.13  age of 18 years and dependent students under the age of 25 years 
  1.14  actually dependent upon the employee.  Any county, municipal 
  1.15  corporation, town, school district, county extension committee, 
  1.16  or other political subdivision or other body corporate and 
  1.17  politic of this state may declare parents, grandparents, 
  1.18  grandchildren, adult dependent children, and siblings as 
  1.19  dependents for the purposes of this chapter.