Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

HF 1153

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 02/26/2015 05:22pm

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.
Line numbers 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5
1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22
3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 3.35 4.1 4.2 4.3

A bill for an act
relating to health; including brain development in required services under the
family home visiting program; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section
145A.17, subdivisions 3, 4.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 145A.17, subdivision 3, is amended to read:


Subd. 3.

Requirements for programs; process.

(a) Community health boards
and tribal governments that receive funding under this section must submit a plan to
the commissioner describing a multidisciplinary approach to targeted home visiting for
families. The plan must be submitted on forms provided by the commissioner. At a
minimum, the plan must include the following:

(1) a description of outreach strategies to families prenatally or at birth;

(2) provisions for the seamless delivery of health, safety, and early learning services;

(3) methods to promote continuity of services when families move within the state;

(4) a description of the community demographics;

(5) a plan for meeting outcome measures; and

(6) a proposed work plan that includes:

(i) coordination to ensure nonduplication of services for children and families;

(ii) a description of the strategies to ensure that children and families at greatest risk
receive appropriate services; and

(iii) collaboration with multidisciplinary partners including public health,
ECFE, Head Start, community health workers, social workers, community home
visiting programs, school districts, and other relevant partners. Letters of intent from
multidisciplinary partners must be submitted with the plan.

(b) Each program that receives funds must accomplish the following program
requirements:

(1) use a community-based strategy to provide preventive and early intervention
home visiting services;

(2) offer a home visit by a trained home visitor. If a home visit is accepted, the first
home visit must occur prenatally or as soon after birth as possible and must include a
public health nursing assessment by a public health nurse;

(3) offer, at a minimum, information on infant care, child growth and development,
positive parenting, preventing diseases, preventing exposure to environmental hazards,
and support services available in the community;

(4) provide information on and referrals to health care services, if needed, including
information on and assistance in applying for health care coverage for which the child or
family may be eligible; and provide information on preventive services, developmental
assessments, and the availability of public assistance programs as appropriate;

(5) provide youth development programs when appropriate;

(6) recruit home visitors who will represent, to the extent possible, the races,
cultures, and languages spoken by families that may be served;

(7) train and supervise home visitors in accordance with the requirements established
under subdivision 4;

(8) maximize resources and minimize duplication by coordinating or contracting
with local social and human services organizations, education organizations, and other
appropriate governmental entities and community-based organizations and agencies;

(9) utilize appropriate racial and ethnic approaches to providing home visiting
services; deleted text begin and
deleted text end

(10) connect eligible families, as needed, to additional resources available in the
community, including, but not limited to, early care and education programs, health or
mental health services, family literacy programs, employment agencies, social services,
and child care resources and referral agenciesdeleted text begin .deleted text end new text begin ; and
new text end

new text begin (11) provide information on prenatal development of brain function and development
of brain function in youth, including, but not limited to, brain development at different
stages of life, expectations of cognitive functions at different stages of life, suggested
activities to encourage healthy brain development, and suggested activities to discourage
negative brain development based on a child's surroundings.
new text end

(c) When available, programs that receive funds under this section must offer or
provide the family with a referral to center-based or group meetings that meet at least
once per month for those families identified with additional needs. The meetings must
focus on further enhancing the information, activities, and skill-building addressed during
home visitation; offering opportunities for parents to meet with and support each other;
and offering infants and toddlers a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment for
socialization and supervised play with qualified teachers.

(d) Funds available under this section shall not be used for medical services. The
commissioner shall establish an administrative cost limit for recipients of funds. The
outcome measures established under subdivision 6 must be specified to recipients of
funds at the time the funds are distributed.

(e) Data collected on individuals served by the home visiting programs must remain
confidential and must not be disclosed by providers of home visiting services without a
specific informed written consent that identifies disclosures to be made. Upon request,
agencies providing home visiting services must provide recipients with information on
disclosures, including the names of entities and individuals receiving the information and
the general purpose of the disclosure. Prospective and current recipients of home visiting
services must be told and informed in writing that written consent for disclosure of data is
not required for access to home visiting services.

(f) Upon initial contact with a family, programs that receive funding under this section
must receive permission from the family to share with other family service providers
information about services the family is receiving and unmet needs of the family in order to
select a lead agency for the family and coordinate available resources. For purposes of this
paragraph, the term "family service providers" includes local public health, social services,
school districts, Head Start programs, health care providers, and other public agencies.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 145A.17, subdivision 4, is amended to read:


Subd. 4.

Training.

The commissioner shall establish training requirements for
home visitors and minimum requirements for supervision. The requirements for nurses
must be consistent with chapter 148. The commissioner must provide training for home
visitors. Training must include the following:

(1) effective relationships for engaging and retaining families and ensuring family
health, safety, and early learning;

(2) effective methods of implementing parent education, conducting home visiting,
and promoting quality early childhood development;

(3) early childhood development from birth to age fivenew text begin , including, but not limited to,
brain development
new text end ;

(4) diverse cultural practices in child rearing and family systems;

(5) recruiting, supervising, and retaining qualified staff;

(6) increasing services for underserved populations; and

(7) relevant issues related to child welfare and protective services, with information
provided being consistent with state child welfare agency training.