1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to school employees; providing for a study of 
  1.3             the feasibility of a school employee health insurance 
  1.4             plan; appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [STUDY; FEASIBILITY OF SCHOOL EMPLOYEE HEALTH 
  1.7   INSURANCE PLAN.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [APPROPRIATION.] The commissioner of 
  1.9   finance shall transfer $200,000 from the endowment created in 
  1.10  Minnesota Statutes, section 144.395, subdivision 1, to the 
  1.11  general fund.  Those funds are appropriated to the commissioner 
  1.12  of commerce for disbursement to the committee created in 
  1.13  subdivision 2 as a grant for the study described in subdivision 
  1.14  3.  The appropriation is available the day following final 
  1.15  enactment and is available until December 31, 2003. 
  1.16     Subd. 2.  [LABOR-MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE.] (a) Eligible 
  1.17  statewide affiliates of exclusive representatives of eligible 
  1.18  employees, as defined in paragraph (f), with at least 1,500 
  1.19  members statewide are entitled to appoint members to serve on 
  1.20  the labor-management health insurance study committee, provided 
  1.21  that the total number of such members must be five.  These five 
  1.22  board positions must be allocated among statewide affiliates 
  1.23  proportionally based upon the relative numbers of eligible 
  1.24  employees whom they represent. 
  1.25     (b) The Minnesota school boards association is entitled to 
  2.1   appoint five members representing eligible employers as defined 
  2.2   in paragraph (f).  
  2.3      (c) All appointments must be made no later than 30 days 
  2.4   after final enactment of this section. 
  2.5      (d) The committee expires upon completion of the study 
  2.6   described in subdivision 3. 
  2.7      (e) The committee may contract to receive services from a 
  2.8   state agency or any other entity. 
  2.9      (f) For purposes of this section: 
  2.10     (1) "eligible employee" means a person who is insurance 
  2.11  eligible and is employed by an eligible employer, so long as the 
  2.12  plan meets the requirements of a governmental plan under United 
  2.13  States Code, title 29, section 1002(32); and 
  2.14     (2) "eligible employer" means a school district as defined 
  2.15  in section 120A.05, a service cooperative as defined in section 
  2.16  123A.21, an intermediate district as defined in section 136D.01, 
  2.17  a cooperative center for vocational education as defined in 
  2.18  section 123A.22, a regional management information center as 
  2.19  defined in section 123A.23, an education unit organized under 
  2.20  section 471.59, or an exclusive representative of employees of 
  2.21  an eligible employer or statewide affiliate. 
  2.22     Subd. 3.  [DESCRIPTION OF STUDY.] (a) The labor-management 
  2.23  health insurance study committee created under subdivision 2 
  2.24  must study the feasibility and desirability of a school employee 
  2.25  health insurance plan for the eligible employees of eligible 
  2.26  employers.  The school employee health insurance plan study must 
  2.27  address the issues of costs, coverage provided, financial 
  2.28  feasibility and solvency, and management.  The study must 
  2.29  compare: 
  2.30     (1) purchase of fully insured coverage through a pooling 
  2.31  arrangement; 
  2.32     (2) use of a multiple employer welfare arrangement under 
  2.33  Minnesota Statutes, chapter 62H; and 
  2.34     (3) coverage otherwise available to school districts 
  2.35  through existing sources. 
  2.36  The study must consider health insurance pools of various sizes, 
  3.1   including a pool that would include all eligible employers as 
  3.2   one option.  The study must consider the desirability and 
  3.3   effects of the pool on eligible employers of various sizes, 
  3.4   financial resources, and geographic locations within the state.  
  3.5   The study must include development of a plan, based upon the 
  3.6   findings of the study. 
  3.7      (b) The committee must provide, in compliance with 
  3.8   Minnesota Statutes, sections 3.195, subdivision 1; and 3.197, a 
  3.9   preliminary written report of the study to the legislature no 
  3.10  later than December 31, 2002, and a final written report no 
  3.11  later than December 31, 2003. 
  3.12     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.13     Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.