1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to gambling; providing for compulsive gambling education, treatment, 
1.3 	and assessment; requiring a report; appropriating money;amending Minnesota 
1.4 	Statutes 2006, sections 245.98, subdivisions 2, 5; 609.115, subdivision 9.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 245.98, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.7 		Subd. 2.Program. The commissioner of human services shall establish a program 
1.8 	for the treatment of compulsive gamblers. The commissioner may contract with an 
1.9 	entity with expertise regarding the treatment of compulsive gambling to operate the 
1.10 	program. The program may include the establishment of a statewide toll-free number, 
1.11 	resource library, public education programs; regional in-service training programs and 
1.12 	conferences for health care professionals, educators, treatment providers, employee 
1.13 	assistance programs, and criminal justice representatives; and the establishment of 
1.14 	certification standards for programs and service providers. The commissioner may enter 
1.15 	into agreements with other entities and may employ or contract with consultants to 
1.16 	facilitate the provision of these services or the training of individuals to qualify them to 
1.17 	provide these services. The program may also include inpatient and outpatient treatment 
1.18 	and rehabilitation services and for residents in a temporary or permanent residential 
1.19 	setting for mental health or chemical dependency, and individuals in jails or correctional 
1.20 	facilities. The program may also include research studies. The research studies must 
1.21 	include baseline and prevalence studies for adolescents and adults to identify those at the 
1.22 	highest risk. The program must be approved by the commissioner before it is established.

1.23 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 245.98, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
2.1 		Subd. 5.Standards. The commissioner shall create standards for treatment and 
2.2 	provider qualifications for the treatment component of the compulsive gambling program.
2.3 	The commissioner, in coordination with the commissioner of corrections, shall create 
2.4 	standards for the assessment and treatment of compulsive gamblers in programs operated 
2.5 	by the commissioner of corrections.

2.6 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 609.115, subdivision 9, is amended to read:
2.7 		Subd. 9.Compulsive gambling assessment required. (a) If a person is convicted 
2.8 	of theft under section 609.52, embezzlement of public funds under section 609.54, or 
2.9 	forgery under section 609.625, 609.63, or 609.631, the probation officer shall determine in 
2.10 	the report prepared under subdivision 1 whether or not compulsive gambling contributed 
2.11 	to the commission of the offense. If so, the report shall contain the results of a compulsive 
2.12 	gambling assessment conducted in accordance with this subdivision. The probation officer 
2.13 	shall make an appointment for the offender to undergo the assessment if so indicated. 
2.14 	(b) The compulsive gambling assessment report must include a recommended level 
2.15 	of treatment for the offender if the assessor concludes that the offender is in need of 
2.16 	compulsive gambling treatment. The assessment must be conducted by an assessor 
2.17 	qualified under section 245.98, subdivision 2a, to perform these assessments or to 
2.18 	provide compulsive gambling treatment. An assessor providing a compulsive gambling 
2.19 	assessment may not have any direct or shared financial interest or referral relationship 
2.20 	resulting in shared financial gain with a treatment provider. If an independent assessor is 
2.21 	not available, the probation officer may use the services of an assessor with a financial 
2.22 	interest or referral relationship as authorized under rules adopted by the commissioner 
2.23 	of human services under section 245.98, subdivision 2a. 
2.24 	(c) The commissioner of human services shall reimburse the assessor for the 
2.25 	costs associated with a compulsive gambling assessment at a rate established by the 
2.26 	commissioner up to a maximum of $100 for each assessment. To the extent practicable, the 
2.27 	commissioner shall standardize reimbursement rates for assessments. The commissioner 
2.28 	shall reimburse these costs after receiving written verification from the probation officer 
2.29 	that the assessment was performed and found acceptable.

2.30 	Sec. 4. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COSTS OF GAMBLING.
 2.31 		Subdivision 1.Report. The commissioner of human services, in consultation with 
2.32 	the state affiliate of the National Council on Problem Gambling, stakeholders, and licensed 
2.33 	vendors, shall prepare a report that provides a process and funding mechanism to study the 
2.34 	issues in subdivisions 2 and 3. The commissioner, in consultation with the state affiliate 
3.1 	of the National Council on Problem Gambling, stakeholders, and licensed vendors, shall 
3.2 	include in the report potential financial commitments made by stakeholders and others, in 
3.3 	order to fund the study. The report is due to the legislative committees having jurisdiction 
3.4 	over compulsive gambling issues by December 1, 2007. 
3.5 		Subd. 2.Issues to be addressed. The study must address:
3.6 	(1) state, local, and tribal government policies and practices in Minnesota to legalize 
3.7 	or prohibit gambling;
3.8 	(2) the relationship between gambling and crime in Minnesota, including: (i) the 
3.9 	relationship between gambling and overall crime rates; (ii) the relationship between 
3.10 	gambling and crimes rates for specific crimes, such as forgery, domestic abuse, child 
3.11 	neglect and abuse, alcohol and drug offenses, and youth crime; and (iii) enforcement 
3.12 	and regulation practices that are intended to address the relationship between gambling 
3.13 	and levels of crime;
3.14 	(3) the relationship between expanded gambling and increased rates of problem 
3.15 	gambling in Minnesota, including the impact of pathological or problem gambling on 
3.16 	individuals, families, businesses, social institutions, and the economy;
3.17 	(4) the social impact of gambling on individuals, families, businesses, and social 
3.18 	institutions in Minnesota, including an analysis of the relationship between gambling and 
3.19 	depression, abuse, divorce, homelessness, suicide, and bankruptcy;
3.20 	(5) the economic impact of gambling on state, local, and tribal economies in 
3.21 	Minnesota; and
3.22 	(6) any other issues deemed necessary in assessing the social and economic impact 
3.23 	of gambling in Minnesota.
3.24 		Subd. 3.Quantification of social and economic impact. The study shall quantify 
3.25 	the social and economic impact on both (1) state, local, and tribal governments in 
3.26 	Minnesota, and (2) Minnesota's communities and social institutions, including individuals, 
3.27 	families, and businesses within those communities and institutions.

3.28 	Sec. 5. APPROPRIATION.
 3.29 		Subdivision 1.Compulsive gambling. $300,000 in fiscal year 2008 is appropriated 
3.30 	from the lottery prize fund to the commissioner of human services for purposes of 
3.31 	compulsive gambling education, assessment, and treatment under Minnesota Statutes, 
3.32 	section 245.98.
3.33 		Subd. 2.Study on the effectiveness of compulsive gambling treatment. $100,000 
3.34 	in fiscal year 2008 is appropriated to the commissioner of human services to continue the 
4.1 	study currently being done on compulsive gambling treatment effectiveness and long-term 
4.2 	effects of gambling.