HF 662

as introduced - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 01:40am

A bill for an act
relating to education; establishing a grant program to help communities promote,
practice, and cultivate positive child and youth development; appropriating
money.

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

Section 1. new text begin GRANT PROGRAM TO PROMOTE HEALTHY
COMMUNITY-HEALTHY YOUTH INITIATIVES.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of education must contract with the Search Institute to help
local communities develop, expand, and maintain the tools, training, and resources needed
to foster positive child and youth development and effectively engage young people in
their community. The Search Institute must educate individuals and community-based
organizations to adequately understand and meet the development needs of their children
and youth, use best practices to promote the healthy development of children and youth,
share best program practices with other interested communities, and create electronic and
other opportunities for communities to share experiences in and resources for promoting
the healthy development of children and youth.
new text end

new text begin (b) Specifically, the Search Institute must use a competitive grant process
to select five interested communities throughout Minnesota to undertake healthy
community-healthy youth initiatives. The Search Institute must provide the selected
communities with the tools, training, and resources they need for successfully
implementing initiatives focused on the healthy development of young people and
strengthening the community. The Search Institute also must use a competitive grant
process to provide at least four existing healthy community-healthy youth initiatives
with added resources to expand existing youth engagement efforts. Finally, the Search
Institute must work to strengthen networking and information-sharing activities among all
healthy community-healthy youth initiatives throughout Minnesota, including sharing best
program practices and providing personal and electronic opportunities for peer learning
and ongoing program support.
new text end

new text begin (c) The commissioner of education must provide for an evaluation of the
effectiveness of this program and must recommend to the education policy and finance
committees of the legislature by February 15, 2011, whether or not to make the program
available statewide. The Search Institute annually must report to the commissioner of
education on the services it provided and the grant money it expended under this section.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $250,000 in fiscal year 2010 and $250,000 in fiscal year 2011 are appropriated from
the general fund to the commissioner of education for contracting with the Search Institute
to promote healthy community-healthy youth initiatives under section 1, paragraph (b).
The commissioner may expend up to five percent of the appropriation to provide for the
program evaluation under section 1, paragraph (c).
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2009.
new text end