SF 4337

1st Engrossment - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 03/24/2026 10:20 a.m.

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; establishing a grant for certain children in foster care;
appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin LEGAL SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE;
APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Appropriation. new text end

new text begin $300,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the
general fund to the commissioner of public safety for grants to support partnerships between
responsible social services agencies and nonprofit organizations to fulfill the requirements
of Minnesota Statutes, section 260C.452, subdivision 4, paragraph (c), in relation to
noncitizen immigrant youth. This is a onetime appropriation.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Purposes. new text end

new text begin (a) Money must be used to determine whether a child in need of
protection or services has documentation of birth and legal authorization to obtain
employment and to assist a child who does not have that documentation to attain permanent
legal status or documentation of legal status.
new text end

new text begin (b) A grantee who is a responsible social services agency must use money to develop a
procedure and conduct screenings to identify children who should be referred for assessment
by a partner nonprofit. At a minimum, a responsible social services agency must determine
whether a child in need of protection or services has both a United States or United States
territory birth certificate and Social Security card and refer any children who do not have
those forms of identification.
new text end

new text begin (c) A grantee who is a nonprofit organization must use money to conduct brief legal
assessments and to provide legal representation to noncitizen immigrant youth to assist in
attaining permanent legal status or documentation of legal status.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Applicants. new text end

new text begin (a) Applicants must demonstrate a partnership between a responsible
social services agency and a qualifying nonprofit organization.
new text end

new text begin (b) To be a qualifying nonprofit organization, the entity must:
new text end

new text begin (1) be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in good standing;
new text end

new text begin (2) have experience and expertise in screening youth for all common forms of immigration
relief;
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new text begin (3) have experience representing youth before United States Citizenship and Immigration
Services and the immigration courts;
new text end

new text begin (4) have experience collaborating with county stakeholders;
new text end

new text begin (5) have or apply a language access plan to support individuals with limited English
proficiency; and
new text end

new text begin (6) demonstrate an ability to work in diverse communities.
new text end

new text begin (c) Applications may be made by a county, a qualifying nonprofit, or both. Applications
must include proof of a cooperative agreement between a specific responsible social services
agency and nonprofit organization, identify the roles of the specific responsible social
services agency and nonprofit organization, and describe how money will be divided.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Minimum awards. new text end

new text begin Grants awarded under this section must be for at least
$150,000.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Data privacy. new text end

new text begin Except as provided under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.393,
data that relates to services provided to a child under this section created, collected, received,
stored, used, or maintained by a grantee that is a responsible social services agency is private
data on individuals, as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 13.02, subdivision 12. The
agency may share or disseminate private data classified under this paragraph:
new text end

new text begin (1) to a partner nonprofit for purposes of administering this section;
new text end

new text begin (2) as required by a valid search warrant or court order issued by a state or federal judge;
or
new text end

new text begin (3) to a court to confirm that the grantee complied with any statutory duty, provided that
the grantee may only disclose to the court the minimum data necessary to demonstrate
compliance.
new text end