1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; health; modifying child eligibility for the early learning 
1.3 	scholarship program; modifying the administration of the early learning scholarship 
1.4 	program; establishing a targeted home visiting grant program for high-risk 
1.5 	populations; appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, 
1.6 	section 124D.165, subdivisions 2, 3; Laws 2017, First Special Session chapter 5, 
1.7 	article 8, section 10, subdivision 4; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.8 	Statutes, chapter 145A.
1.9 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.10 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 2, is 
1.11 	amended to read:
1.12 		Subd. 2.Family eligibility. (a) For a family to receive an early learning scholarship, 
1.13 	parents or guardians must meet the following eligibility requirements:
1.14 	(1) have an eligible child; and
1.15 	(2) have income equal to or less than 185 percent of federal poverty level income in the 
1.16 	current calendar year, or be able to document their child's current participation in the free 
1.17 	and reduced-price lunch program or Child and Adult Care Food Program, National School 
1.18 	Lunch Act, United States Code, title 42, sections 1751 and 1766; the Food Distribution 
1.19 	Program on Indian Reservations, Food and Nutrition Act, United States Code, title 7, sections 
1.20 	2011-2036; Head Start under the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act 
1.21 	of 2007; Minnesota family investment program under chapter 256J; child care assistance 
1.22 	programs under chapter 119B; the supplemental nutrition assistance program; or placement 
1.23 	in foster care under section 260C.212.
1.24 	(b) An "eligible child" means a child who has not yet enrolled in kindergarten and is:
2.1 	(1) at least three but not yet five years of age on September 1 of the current school year;
2.2 	or
2.3 	(2) a sibling from birth to age five of a child who has been awarded a scholarship under 
2.4 	this section provided the sibling attends the same program as long as funds are available;
2.5 	(3) the child of a parent under age 21 who is pursuing a high school degree or a course 
2.6 	of study for a high school equivalency test; or
2.7 	(4) (2) homeless, in foster care, or in need of child protective services.
2.8 	(c) A child who has received a scholarship under this section must continue to receive 
2.9 	a scholarship each year until that child is eligible for kindergarten under section 120A.20 
2.10 	and as long as funds are available.
2.11 	(d) Early learning scholarships may not be counted as earned income for the purposes 
2.12 	of medical assistance under chapter 256B, MinnesotaCare under chapter 256L, Minnesota 
2.13 	family investment program under chapter 256J, child care assistance programs under chapter 
2.14 	119B, or Head Start under the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 
2.15 	2007.
2.16 	(e) A child from an adjoining state whose family resides at a Minnesota address as 
2.17 	assigned by the United States Postal Service, who has received developmental screening 
2.18 	under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19, who intends to enroll in a Minnesota school district, 
2.19 	and whose family meets the criteria of paragraph (a) is eligible for an early learning 
2.20 	scholarship under this section.

2.21 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2018.

2.22 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2017 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 3, is amended 
2.23 	to read:
2.24 		Subd. 3.Administration. (a) The commissioner shall establish application timelines 
2.25 	and determine the schedule for awarding scholarships that meets operational needs of eligible 
2.26 	families and programs. The commissioner must give highest priority to applications from 
2.27 	children who:
2.28 	(1) have a parent under age 21 who is pursuing a high school diploma or a course of 
2.29 	study for a high school equivalency test;
2.30 	(2) are in foster care or otherwise in need of protection or services; or
2.31 	(3) have experienced homelessness in the last 24 months, as defined under the federal 
2.32 	McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, United States Code, title 42, section 11434a.
3.1 	The commissioner may prioritize applications on additional factors including family 
3.2 	income, geographic location, and whether the child's family is on a waiting list for a publicly 
3.3 	funded program providing early education or child care services. To the extent practicable, 
3.4 	and consistent with subdivision 2, paragraph (c), the commissioner must allocate half of 
3.5 	the available funding for scholarships to eligible children from birth to age two.
3.6 	(b) The commissioner shall establish a target for the average scholarship amount per 
3.7 	child based on the results of the rate survey conducted under section 119B.02.
3.8 	(c) A four-star rated program that has children eligible for a scholarship enrolled in or 
3.9 	on a waiting list for a program beginning in July, August, or September may notify the 
3.10 	commissioner, in the form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, each year of the 
3.11 	program's desire to enhance program services or to serve more children than current funding 
3.12 	provides. The commissioner may designate a predetermined number of scholarship slots 
3.13 	for that program and notify the program of that number. For fiscal year 2018 and later, the 
3.14 	statewide amount of funding directly designated by the commissioner must not exceed the 
3.15 	funding directly designated for fiscal year 2017. Beginning July 1, 2016, a school district 
3.16 	or Head Start program qualifying under this paragraph may use its established registration 
3.17 	process to enroll scholarship recipients and may verify a scholarship recipient's family 
3.18 	income in the same manner as for other program participants.
3.19 	(d) A scholarship is awarded for a 12-month period. If the scholarship recipient has not 
3.20 	been accepted and subsequently enrolled in a rated program within ten months of the 
3.21 	awarding of the scholarship, the scholarship cancels and the recipient must reapply in order 
3.22 	to be eligible for another scholarship. A child may not be awarded more than one scholarship 
3.23 	in a 12-month period.
3.24 	(e) A child who receives a scholarship who has not completed development screening 
3.25 	under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19 must complete that screening within 90 days of first 
3.26 	attending an eligible program.
3.27 	(f) For fiscal year 2017 and later, a school district or Head Start program enrolling 
3.28 	scholarship recipients under paragraph (c) may apply to the commissioner, in the form and 
3.29 	manner prescribed by the commissioner, for direct payment of state aid. Upon receipt of 
3.30 	the application, the commissioner must pay each program directly for each approved 
3.31 	scholarship recipient enrolled under paragraph (c) according to the metered payment system 
3.32 	or another schedule established by the commissioner.

3.33 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2018.

4.1 	Sec. 3. [145A.18] TARGETED HOME VISITING GRANT PROGRAM FOR 
4.2 	HIGH-RISK POPULATIONS.
4.3 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. (a) The commissioner of health shall establish a program 
4.4 	to provide targeted home visiting services to families living in poverty, targeting first-time 
4.5 	mothers and families within high-risk populations with children prenatal through age five.
4.6 	(b) The commissioner shall promote collaborative partnerships within and across 
4.7 	communities to meet the needs of vulnerable families living in poverty. The commissioner 
4.8 	shall designate a portion of the grant funds to build capacity within a community to improve 
4.9 	coordination and collaboration to support newly arriving, isolated, or diverse families, and 
4.10 	to provide ongoing professional development and training of staff to ensure quality 
4.11 	programming.
4.12 	(c) For purposes of this section, "high-risk population" includes but is not limited to 
4.13 	pregnant and parenting teens, families experiencing violence, families experiencing isolation, 
4.14 	families with mental health needs, families with children having special health care needs, 
4.15 	and families experiencing homelessness.
4.16 		Subd. 2.Grants. (a) The commissioner shall award grants to nonprofit organizations, 
4.17 	community health boards, tribal governments, or a collaboration of entities that have been 
4.18 	operating a targeted home visiting program for at least two years. Priority shall be given to 
4.19 	home visiting programs that are not receiving state funds under section 145A.17 or receiving 
4.20 	other state funding for home visiting services.
4.21 	(b) Grant funds shall be used to improve the health and well-being needs of children 
4.22 	and families, improve readiness for learning and school, and improve maternal outcomes, 
4.23 	including education, workforce participation, and health.
4.24 		Subd. 3.Outcome and performance measures. The commissioner shall establish 
4.25 	measures to determine the impact of targeted home visiting programs receiving funds under 
4.26 	this section.
4.27 		Subd. 4.Supplemental funds. Funds available under this section may only be used to 
4.28 	supplement, not replace, current state or federal funding used for family home visiting 
4.29 	programs.

4.30 	Sec. 4. Laws 2017, First Special Session chapter 5, article 8, section 10, subdivision 4, is 
4.31 	amended to read:
4.32 		Subd. 4.Early learning scholarships. (a) For the early learning scholarship program 
4.33 	under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.165:

5.1		$
	70,209,000
	.....
	2018
	
5.35.2
		$
	70,209,000
.......
	.....
	2019
	
5.4 	(b) Up to $950,000 each year is for administration of this program.
5.5 	(c) Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.
5.6 	(d) The base for fiscal year 2020 is $70,709,000 $........
5.7 	(e) Of the amount in 2019, ... percent in each year is for transfer to the commissioner of 
5.8 	human services for the quality rating and improvement system under Minnesota Statutes, 
5.9 	section 124D.142. The amount transferred under this paragraph must be reduced by the 
5.10 	amount of any federal funding in that year for the system under Minnesota Statutes, section 
5.11 	124D.142.

5.12 	Sec. 5. APPROPRIATION.
 5.13 	$....... in fiscal year 2019 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of 
5.14 	health for the targeted home visiting grant program under Minnesota Statutes, section 
5.15 	145A.18. The base for fiscal year 2020 and later is $........