1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to employment; establishing a pilot project to encourage the licensure 
1.3 	of foreign-trained health care professionals in Minnesota; appropriating money 
1.4 	for a pilot program to encourage the licensure of foreign-trained health care 
1.5 	professionals.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. PILOT PROJECT; LICENSURE OF FOREIGN-TRAINED HEALTH 
1.8 	CARE PROFESSIONALS.
 1.9 	The commissioner of employment and economic development must conduct a 
1.10 	pilot project to encourage the licensure in Minnesota of foreign-trained health care 
1.11 	professionals, including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, and other 
1.12 	allied health care professionals.  The commissioner must work with local workforce boards 
1.13 	to award grants to foreign-trained health care professionals that are sufficient to cover the 
1.14 	actual costs of taking a course intended to prepare health care professionals for required 
1.15 	licensing examinations and the fee for taking required licensing examinations.  When 
1.16 	awarding grants, the commissioner must consider whether the recipient??a??a??s training involves 
1.17 	a medical specialty that is in demand in one or more Minnesota communities.  The 
1.18 	commissioner also must establish additional criteria for the award of grants.  The program 
1.19 	will begin on July 1, 2006, and end on June 30, 2007.  The commissioner must submit 
1.20 	a report evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program to the legislative committees 
1.21 	with jurisdiction over employment by October 1, 2007. 

1.22 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.1 	$....... is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of employment and 
2.2 	economic development for a pilot project to encourage the licensure of foreign-trained 
2.3 	health care professionals.