1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; establishing a task force to compare federal and state 
1.3 	special education requirements; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. TASK FORCE TO COMPARE FEDERAL AND STATE SPECIAL 
1.6 	EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS.
 1.7 		Subdivision 1.Establishment; duties. A task force is established to recommend 
1.8 	which state laws and rules that exceed or expand upon minimum federal special education 
1.9 	requirements for providing special education programs and services to eligible students 
1.10 	should be amended to conform with minimum federal requirements. The commissioner 
1.11 	of the bureau of mediation services under Minnesota Statutes, section 179.02, after 
1.12 	consulting with interested stakeholders, shall appoint a ten-member task force composed 
1.13 	of equal numbers of providers, advocates, regulators, consumers of special education 
1.14 	services, lawyers who practice in the field of special education and represent either parents 
1.15 	or school districts, special education teachers, and school officials. The commissioner 
1.16 	must convene the task force by June 1, 2007, which shall meet regularly and shall review 
1.17 	the January 25, 2006, report prepared by the Minnesota Department of Education Office 
1.18 	of Compliance and Assistance and the January 15, 2007, New IDEA Regulations report 
1.19 	prepared by the Ratwick Roszak law firm. The terms and compensation of task force 
1.20 	members are governed by Minnesota Statutes, section 15.059, subdivision 6.
1.21 		Subd. 2.Report. The task force must submit to the education policy and finance 
1.22 	committees of the legislature by February 15, 2008, a report that identifies and clearly 
1.23 	and concisely explains each provision in state law or rule that exceeds or expands upon 
1.24 	a minimum federal requirement contained in law or regulation for providing special 
2.1 	education programs and services to eligible students. The report also must recommend 
2.2 	which state provisions that exceed or expand upon a minimum federal requirement may 
2.3 	be amended to conform with minimum federal requirements. The task force expires 
2.4 	when it submits its report to the legislature.

2.5 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

2.6 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; TASK FORCE TO COMPARE FEDERAL AND 
2.7 	STATE SPECIAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS.
 2.8 	$....... is appropriated from the general fund in fiscal year 2008 to the commissioner 
2.9 	of the Bureau of Mediation Services for costs related to the work of the task force to 
2.10 	compare federal and state special education requirements under section 1.

2.11 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2008.