1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to employment; directing the commissioner of 
  1.3             employment and economic development to conduct an 
  1.4             extended employment pilot project; authorizing a 
  1.5             transfer of funds; providing for division and use of a 
  1.6             federal funds match. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [PILOT PROJECT.] 
  1.9      The commissioner of employment and economic development 
  1.10  shall conduct an extended employment pilot project to study an 
  1.11  industrial model for employment for individuals with severe 
  1.12  disabilities in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. 
  1.13     Employment is to be provided by Custom Products, a division 
  1.14  of Occupational Development Center.  During the pilot, 
  1.15  employment outcomes for individuals with severe disabilities 
  1.16  will be assumed to be community employment as defined under 
  1.17  Minnesota Rules, part 3300.2005.  The pilot project will begin 
  1.18  July 1, 2004, and end June 30, 2005.  Evaluation of the pilot 
  1.19  project must be completed by October 1, 2005, by the 
  1.20  commissioner. 
  1.21     The pilot project must maintain a minimum ratio of 60 
  1.22  percent of nondisabled persons, must pay minimum wages or better 
  1.23  to all employees with severe disabilities, and must provide them 
  1.24  a level of benefits equal to those provided to nondisabled 
  1.25  employees.  All work teams must be integrated. 
  1.26     The pilot project must provide the extended employment 
  2.1   program with useful information to clarify the distinction 
  2.2   between center-based and community employment subprograms.  The 
  2.3   commissioner shall consider the findings of the pilot project in 
  2.4   adopting rules. 
  2.5   Sec. 2.  TRANSFERS AND CANCELLATIONS     
  2.6   Subdivision 1.  Vocational 
  2.7   Rehabilitation Transfer
  2.8   Beginning in fiscal year 2005, the 
  2.9   commissioner of employment and economic 
  2.10  development may transfer $1,325,000 
  2.11  from the independent living program's 
  2.12  general fund appropriation to the 
  2.13  vocational rehabilitation program.  
  2.14  Each year the state director of the 
  2.15  vocational rehabilitation program shall 
  2.16  immediately restore from the vocational 
  2.17  rehabilitation program's federal Social 
  2.18  Security Administration program income 
  2.19  or federal Title I funds, the 
  2.20  $1,325,000 to the Centers for 
  2.21  Independent Living. 
  2.22  Subd. 2.  Federal Funds Match                                   
  2.23  The transferred independent living 
  2.24  general funds under subdivision 1 must 
  2.25  be used to match federal vocational 
  2.26  rehabilitation funds as they become 
  2.27  available, and each year the resulting 
  2.28  additional federal funds must be 
  2.29  divided equally between the vocational 
  2.30  rehabilitation program and the Centers 
  2.31  for Independent Living.  
  2.32  The maximum amount of federal 
  2.33  vocational rehabilitation funds that 
  2.34  may be shared with the Centers for 
  2.35  Independent Living is $2,438,000.  The 
  2.36  vocational rehabilitation program may 
  2.37  not use the Centers for Independent 
  2.38  Living's share of the additional 
  2.39  federal funds for any other purpose 
  2.40  than to fund the Centers for 
  2.41  Independent Living. 
  2.42  Subd. 3.  Data Sharing                                          
  2.43  The Centers for Independent Living must 
  2.44  share data with the vocational 
  2.45  rehabilitation program to ensure that 
  2.46  the transfer of funds under subdivision 
  2.47  1 and the related contracts meet all 
  2.48  legal requirements. 
  2.49     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.50     Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.