E Establishing a mediation process for vendor variance requests relating to day training and habilitation services for persons with mental retardation or related conditions; authorizing and providing for vendors to request the commissioner of human services to mediate after county board action on or failure to consider variance requests, requiring a written notice to the commissioner and a copy to the county board, imposing certain time limits and specifying certain notice content requirements; requiring the commissioner to convene a reconciliation conference to attempt to resolve the rate dispute within a certain number of days of receipt of the notice and the county board to make a final decision on the variance request and notify the vendor and the commissioner of the decision within a certain number of days of mediation; requiring and providing for the commissioner by a certain date to initiate a pilot project for a day training and habilitation services individualized payment rate structure, specifying certain pilot project requirements and options, sunsetting the project upon implementation of a new statewide rate structure to be recommended by the day training and habilitation task force in a report to the legislature by a certain date evaluating the pilot project; requiring modification of the rates of vendors participating in the pilot project for consistency with the new statewide rate structure, providing for a settle-up, specifying certain duties of the county board and the commissioner and extending the expiration date of the task force; specifying certain rate setting requirements and options and providing for individual rate authorization and vendor billing for services, requiring vendor notice to case managers of changes in client needs; specifying a rate minimum and certain county board documentation requirements; requiring the commissioner to seek federal approval for the pilot project and appropriating money to the commissioner to implement the pilot project and to provide training and assistance to participating counties and vendors and technical assistance to the task force (ra, ja)