1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to early education; providing funding for 
  1.3             early childhood family education programs; 
  1.4             transferring TANF funds to the department of children, 
  1.5             families, and learning; appropriating money. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [TANF APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  1.8      $5,000,000 each year for fiscal years 2001 to 2003 is 
  1.9   appropriated to the commissioner of human services from the 
  1.10  federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block 
  1.11  grant funds authorized under United States Code, title 42, 
  1.12  section 601, et seq., and awarded in federal fiscal years 2000 
  1.13  to 2002, and is transferred to the department of children, 
  1.14  families, and learning for the early childhood family education 
  1.15  programs under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.13, as provided 
  1.16  in this section. 
  1.17     TANF funds must be used for competitive grants to increase 
  1.18  services for and participation of low-income families in early 
  1.19  childhood family education.  Grants under this section must be 
  1.20  used for services for families with incomes below 200 percent of 
  1.21  the federal poverty rate, including services that support the 
  1.22  formation and maintenance of two-parent families.  Grants must 
  1.23  be awarded to programs that cooperate with local Head Start 
  1.24  programs in serving low-income children and families.  Priority 
  1.25  in awarding the grants must be given to areas of the state with 
  2.1   the highest concentration of unserved or underserved children 
  2.2   from eligible families.  Eligible grantees must submit an 
  2.3   application with a detailed plan describing the cooperative 
  2.4   programming.  The commissioner may make grants that are 
  2.5   renewable for up to three years.  The commissioner must monitor 
  2.6   how effectively the grantees are meeting the cooperation and 
  2.7   programming goals under this section and may not renew a grant 
  2.8   if the grantee fails to meet the programming goals or to 
  2.9   adequately cooperate with local Head Start programs.