1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to jobs; establishing a jobs innovation for hard-to-employ Minnesotans 
1.3 	grant program; appropriating money;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.4 	Statutes, chapter 116J.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [116J.8748] JOBS INNOVATION FOR HARD-TO-EMPLOY 
1.7 	MINNESOTANS GRANT PROGRAM.
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. The commissioner of employment and economic 
1.9 	development shall establish a grant program with the goal of creating new jobs for 
1.10 	long-term and chronically unemployed Minnesotans who are frequent and costly users 
1.11 	of state and county interventions and services. The targeted population for the grant 
1.12 	program includes individuals who rely heavily on government services, such as veterans, 
1.13 	recently incarcerated individuals, and individuals with mental health problems and 
1.14 	chemical addiction.
1.15 		Subd. 2.Objectives. The grant program shall:
1.16 	(1) provide an incentive for the private employment sector to generate new 
1.17 	employment opportunities for the targeted population; and
1.18 	(2) foster cross-agency collaboration at the state and local levels and reduce 
1.19 	government costs by eliminating inefficiencies and applying best practices.
1.20 		Subd. 3.Selection of grant recipients. (a) Grants under this section shall be 
1.21 	awarded by the commissioner of employment and economic development. Before any 
1.22 	grants are awarded, a committee consisting of representatives from the Departments of 
1.23 	Employment and Economic Development, Health and Human Services, and Corrections, 
2.1 	and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, shall meet and evaluate the grant applications 
2.2 	and make recommendations to the commissioner on awarding the grants. 
2.3 	(b) To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an organization must be an 
2.4 	employer located in this state and must:
2.5 	(1) commit to creating new full-time or part-time positions for the targeted 
2.6 	population;
2.7 	(2) demonstrate a clear plan for creating new jobs and verify that the funds will not 
2.8 	be used to preserve or fund existing jobs;
2.9 	(3) demonstrate how a proposal will address and coordinate meeting the needs 
2.10 	of the targeted population, such as housing, mental and chemical health services, and 
2.11 	preventative health care;
2.12 	(4) explain how employment opportunities will be coordinated with housing, 
2.13 	behavioral health, and other critical support services intended to ensure that program 
2.14 	participants become stable, contributing members of their communities;
2.15 	(5) outline how the proposed employment strategies will reduce federal, state, and 
2.16 	local government costs, including public spending for shelter, food assistance, emergency 
2.17 	health care, incarceration, and other public safety costs; and 
2.18 	(6) demonstrate the capacity to deliver an integrated set of core services, including 
2.19 	new jobs, and the ability to track and report on the performance and results of their efforts.
2.20 	(c) When making grants under this section, preference shall be given to eligible 
2.21 	organizations who demonstrate the ability to meet the objectives set forth in Laws 2007, 
2.22 	chapter 54, article 1, section 19.
2.23 		Subd. 4.Reporting requirements. (a) An organization receiving a grant under 
2.24 	this section must report annually to the commissioner of employment and economic 
2.25 	development on the number of program participants who:
2.26 	(1) were employed full time or part time;
2.27 	(2) made child support payments, if applicable; and
2.28 	(3) avoided institutionalization or incarceration.
2.29 	(b) The commissioner of employment and economic development shall submit 
2.30 	an annual report on the progress of the grant program by January 15 each year to the 
2.31 	senate and house of representatives committees with jurisdiction over employment and 
2.32 	economic development.
2.33 		Subd. 5.Grant awards. Grants shall be awarded to up to three organizations 
2.34 	per biennium.
2.35 		Subd. 6.Match. In order to qualify for a grant, applicants must match, on a 
2.36 	one-to-one basis, the amount of state funds awarded with nonstate funds.

3.1 	Sec. 2. REPORT.
 3.2 	The commissioner of employment and economic development, in consultation 
3.3 	with the commissioner of management and budget, shall calculate the savings generated 
3.4 	to the state through reduced state spending on government services resulting from 
3.5 	implementation of the grant program and shall examine the feasibility of replenishing the 
3.6 	grant program by utilizing the anticipated savings. The commissioner of employment and 
3.7 	economic development must report the findings to the senate and house of representatives 
3.8 	committees with jurisdiction over employment and economic development by January 
3.9 	15, 2013.

3.10 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.
 3.11 	$3,000,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2013 from the general fund to the 
3.12 	commissioner of employment and economic development for the grant program described 
3.13 	in section 1. This appropriation does not cancel and is available until expended.