Relating to welfare reform; enabling low-income workers to meet basic needs

ARTICLE 1 - FINDINGS

Providing a declaration of purpose

ARTICLE 2 - CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE CONSOLIDATION

Providing child care assistance to low-income workers; consolidating the Minnesota family investment program (MFIP) and basic sliding fee child care programs; eliminating the requirement for allocation of federal reimbursements to counties for child care services and the authority of commissioner of human services to certify advances of quarterly payments and modifying certain requirements for the withholding or reduction of county funds; modifying a certain provision providing for continued participation in the child care assistance program upon a family move to another county, eliminating the portability pool; modifying certain general eligibility requirements for child care assistance applicants and certain assistance eligibility date and payment requirements; providing eligibility for certain persons participating in employment, education or training plans or programs; requiring and providing for the payment of bonuses to family child care providers or child care centers providing qualified early care and learning; authorizing commissioner to establish additional tiers of child care assistance reimbursement based on multiple levels of quality and licensure; modifying child care rates subsidy restrictions; providing for the payment of direct services delivery administrative costs; requiring the state obligation for child care assistance program to be included in certain department of management and budget revenue and expenditure forecasts; specifying certain renumbering and cross reference change instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing certain provisions relating to transition year families and the basic sliding fee and MFIP child care assistance programs

ARTICLE 3 - WORKING FAMILY TAX CREDIT

Increasing working family tax credit; modifying certain credit requirements for individuals qualifying for the working family tax credit

ARTICLE 4 - MINIMUM WAGE

Increasing the minimum wage required to be paid by large and small
employers

ARTICLE 5 - MINNESOTA EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT

"Minnesota Emergency Employment Development (MEED) Act of 2011"; reestablishing an emergency employment development program and providing wage subsidies; providing for temporary employment projects in the government and nonprofit agencies and new permanent job creation in the private sector; defining certain terms; requiring commissioner of employment and economic development (DEED) to administer the program, specifying certain enforcement requirements, requiring report to the legislature and authorizing rulemaking; providing for allocation of funds among and within workforce service areas for eligible job applicants and employers; regulating use of appropriated funds; specifying certain powers and duties of employment administrators for each workforce service area; specifying project eligibility requirements for government, nonprofit agencies and business employers; giving fund allocation priority to certain eligible businesses meeting certain criteria; requiring employer accountability; creating the MEED account in the state treasury, specifying fund distribution and funding; prohibiting worker displacement; appropriating money
(je)