HF 1074

1st Engrossment - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/23/2023 03:42pm

A bill for an act
relating to economic development; appropriating money for the Minnesota Initiative
Foundations; requiring a report.

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

Section 1. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
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new text begin $6,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of employment and economic development for a grant to the Minnesota Initiative
Foundations. The Minnesota Initiative Foundations are authorized to subgrant their allocation
to partner organizations who are assisting in their child care work. This is a onetime
appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027. The Minnesota Initiative Foundations
must use grant funds under this section to:
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new text begin (1) facilitate planning processes for rural communities resulting in a community solution
action plan that guides decision making to sustain and increase the supply of quality child
care in the region to support economic development;
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new text begin (2) engage the private sector to invest local resources to support the community solution
action plan and ensure quality child care is a vital component of additional regional economic
development planning processes;
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new text begin (3) provide locally based training and technical assistance to rural child care business
owners individually or through a learning cohort. Access to financial and business
development assistance must prepare child care businesses for quality engagement and
improvement by stabilizing operations, leveraging funding from other sources, and fostering
business acumen that allows child care businesses to plan for and afford the cost of providing
quality child care; and
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new text begin (4) recruit child care programs to participate in Parent Aware, Minnesota's quality and
improvement rating system, and other high quality measurement programs. The Minnesota
Initiative Foundations must work with local partners to provide low-cost training, professional
development opportunities, and continuing education curricula. The Minnesota Initiative
Foundations must fund, through local partners, an enhanced level of coaching to rural child
care providers to obtain a quality rating through Parent Aware or other high quality
measurement programs.
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Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION; CHILD CARE BUSINESS SUPPORT AND TRAINING.
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new text begin $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 and $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated from
the general fund to the commissioner of employment and economic development for a grant
to WomenVenture to support child care providers through business training and shared
services programs and to create materials that could be used, free of charge, for start-up,
expansion, and operation of child care businesses statewide, with the goal of helping new
and existing child care businesses in underserved areas of the state become profitable and
sustainable. The commissioner shall report data on outcomes and recommendations for
replication of this training program throughout Minnesota to the governor and relevant
committees of the legislature by December 15, 2025. This is a onetime appropriation.
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