1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to public safety; establishing a grant for certain children in foster care; 
1.3 	appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. LEGAL SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE; 
1.6 	APPROPRIATION.
 1.7 		Subdivision 1.Appropriation. $300,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the 
1.8 	general fund to the commissioner of public safety for grants to support partnerships between 
1.9 	responsible social services agencies and nonprofit organizations to fulfill the requirements 
1.10 	of Minnesota Statutes, section 260C.452, subdivision 4, paragraph (c), in relation to 
1.11 	noncitizen immigrant youth. This is a onetime appropriation.
1.12 		Subd. 2.Purposes. (a) Money must be used to determine whether a child in need of 
1.13 	protection or services has documentation of birth and legal authorization to obtain 
1.14 	employment and to assist a child who does not have that documentation to attain permanent 
1.15 	legal status or documentation of legal status.
1.16 	(b) A grantee who is a responsible social services agency must use money to develop a 
1.17 	procedure and conduct screenings to identify children who should be referred for assessment 
1.18 	by a partner nonprofit. At a minimum, a responsible social services agency must determine 
1.19 	whether a child in need of protection or services has both a United States or United States 
1.20 	territory birth certificate and Social Security card and refer any children who do not have 
1.21 	those forms of identification.
2.1 	(c) A grantee who is a nonprofit organization must use money to conduct brief legal 
2.2 	assessments and to provide legal representation to noncitizen immigrant youth to assist in 
2.3 	attaining permanent legal status or documentation of legal status.
2.4 		Subd. 3.Applicants. (a) Applicants must demonstrate a partnership between a responsible 
2.5 	social services agency and a qualifying nonprofit organization.
2.6 	(b) To be a qualifying nonprofit organization, the entity must:
2.7 	(1) be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in good standing;
2.8 	(2) have experience and expertise in screening youth for all common forms of immigration 
2.9 	relief;
2.10 	(3) have experience representing youth before United States Citizenship and Immigration 
2.11 	Services and the immigration courts;
2.12 	(4) have experience collaborating with county stakeholders;
2.13 	(5) have or apply a language access plan to support individuals with limited English 
2.14 	proficiency; and
2.15 	(6) demonstrate an ability to work in diverse communities.
2.16 	(c) Applications may be made by a county, a qualifying nonprofit, or both. Applications 
2.17 	must include proof of a cooperative agreement between a specific responsible social services 
2.18 	agency and nonprofit organization, identify the roles of the specific responsible social 
2.19 	services agency and nonprofit organization, and describe how money will be divided.
2.20 		Subd. 4.Minimum awards. Grants awarded under this section must be for at least 
2.21 	$150,000.
2.22 		Subd. 5.Data privacy. Except as provided under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.393, 
2.23 	data that relates to services provided to a child under this section created, collected, received, 
2.24 	stored, used, or maintained by a grantee that is a responsible social services agency is private 
2.25 	data on individuals, as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 13.02, subdivision 12. The 
2.26 	agency may share or disseminate private data classified under this paragraph:
2.27 	(1) to a partner nonprofit for purposes of administering this section;
2.28 	(2) as required by a valid search warrant or court order issued by a state or federal judge; 
2.29 	or
3.1 	(3) to a court to confirm that the grantee complied with any statutory duty, provided that 
3.2 	the grantee may only disclose to the court the minimum data necessary to demonstrate 
3.3 	compliance.