SF 1549

1st Engrossment - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/23/2023 10:50pm

A bill for an act
relating to public safety; appropriating money for prevention services, intervention
services, and barrier reduction services relating to youth involved or at risk of
becoming involved in the criminal or juvenile justice system; establishing the task
force on youth interventions; requiring a report; appropriating money.

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

Section 1. new text begin TASK FORCE ON YOUTH INTERVENTIONS.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin The Task Force on Youth Interventions is established
to develop recommendations on the design of a regional system of care for youth
interventions, sustainable financing models, and alternatives to criminal penalties. The task
force must evaluate coordinated approaches to youth with high behavioral health needs with
the goal of reducing and eliminating touchpoints with the justice system as well as identifying
community-based services to address youth needs and identifying gaps in services.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Membership. new text end

new text begin (a) The task force consists of the following members:
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new text begin (1) two members of the senate, one appointed by the senate majority leader and one
appointed by the senate minority leader;
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new text begin (2) two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the
house and one appointed by the house minority leader;
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new text begin (3) a county attorney appointed by the Minnesota County Attorneys Association;
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new text begin (4) a public defender with responsibility for systems in one or more of the counties
included in clause (6) appointed by the State Public Defender's Office;
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new text begin (5) a peace officer, as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 626.84, subdivision 1,
paragraph (c), from one of the counties included in clause (6) appointed by the Minnesota
Sheriffs' Association;
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new text begin (6) a county administrator or their designee from each of the following counties:
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new text begin (i) Anoka County;
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new text begin (ii) Carver County;
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new text begin (iii) Dakota County;
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new text begin (iv) Hennepin County;
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new text begin (v) Olmsted County;
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new text begin (vi) Ramsey County;
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new text begin (vii) Scott County;
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new text begin (viii) St. Louis County;
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new text begin (ix) Stearns County; and
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new text begin (x) Washington County;
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new text begin (7) two representatives of county social services agencies appointed by the Minnesota
Association of County Social Service Administrators;
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new text begin (8) two representatives of community supervision appointed by the Minnesota Association
of Community Corrections Act Counties;
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new text begin (9) two representatives of community supervision appointed by the Minnesota Association
of County Probation Officers;
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new text begin (10) two representatives appointed by the commissioner of human services, one with
experience in child welfare and one with experience in children's mental health;
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new text begin (11) the commissioner of corrections, or a designee;
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new text begin (12) two members representing culturally competent advocacy organizations, one of
which must be the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Minnesota; and
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new text begin (13) two members, to be designated by Hennepin County, from the community with
lived experience of a juvenile family member who was or is currently involved in the justice
system, one of whom must be a resident of Hennepin County.
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new text begin (b) Appointments to the task force must be made by September 1, 2023.
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new text begin (c) Member compensation and reimbursement for expenses are governed by Minnesota
Statutes, section 15.059, subdivision 3.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Chairs; meetings. new text end

new text begin (a) The task force shall be cochaired by the representative
member under clause (6) from Hennepin County and the commissioner of corrections or a
designee.
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new text begin (b) The cochairs shall convene the first meeting of the task force no later than September
1, 2023.
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new text begin (c) Task force meetings are subject to the Minnesota Open Meeting Law under Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 13D.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Administrative support. new text end

new text begin The Legislative Coordinating Commission must
provide administrative support and meeting space for the task force. The commission may
also choose to delegate this authority to Hennepin County.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Duties. new text end

new text begin (a) The task force shall assess the current approach to addressing the
therapeutic and rehabilitative needs of youth adjudicated to be either children in need of
protection services or delinquent. The task force shall evaluate racial disparities as part of
the task force duties under this subdivision.
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new text begin (b) The task force shall also:
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new text begin (1) provide the number of youth currently in these systems;
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new text begin (2) provide the demographics of all youth including age, gender, sexual orientation, and
race or ethnicity;
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new text begin (3) provide the number of youth currently in out-of-home placement due to their
behavioral health needs broken down by:
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new text begin (i) therapeutic and rehabilitative needs of youth; and
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new text begin (ii) proximity of a facility to their home or community;
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new text begin (4) provide the number of youth currently in an out-of-state residential facility broken
down by:
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new text begin (i) therapeutic and rehabilitative needs;
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new text begin (ii) type of facility or setting;
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new text begin (iii) location of facility; and
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new text begin (iv) county of residence;
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new text begin (5) provide the number of youth awaiting or in need of placement due to no available
resource broken down by:
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new text begin (i) therapeutic and rehabilitative needs;
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new text begin (ii) type of facility or setting needed; and
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new text begin (iii) wait time and wait setting;
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new text begin (6) provide the total bed capacity by treatment facility broken down by:
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new text begin (i) residential treatment centers;
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new text begin (ii) which facilities are state operated;
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new text begin (iii) which facilities are county operated; and
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new text begin (iv) which facilities are owned or operated by a community provider;
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new text begin (7) for children who can access residential treatment, provide the:
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new text begin (i) average length of stay;
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new text begin (ii) average daily cost per type of placement, and delineate by payor source;
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new text begin (iii) return or recidivism rate;
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new text begin (iv) therapeutic and rehabilitative needs;
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new text begin (v) discharge setting, including whether that is a home, step down program, or runaway;
and
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new text begin (vi) barriers, if any, to discharge;
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new text begin (8) describe community-based programming, various treatment models, how programs
operate, and the types of these services currently being provided in the state, including
licensure model, and provide data specific to current total capacity and availability, level
of care, outcomes, and costs;
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new text begin (9) provide research models and best practices across North America, including
continuum of care, program specifics, best metrics, continuous improvement, entities
involved in funding and oversight, outcomes, and costs; and
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new text begin (10) describe the role the state of Minnesota should play in ensuring best practice
resources are available to all children across the state.
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new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Report. new text end

new text begin No later than February 1, 2024, the task force must submit a written
report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees and divisions
with jurisdiction over human services, public safety, and judiciary on the task force's activities
and recommendations based on the evaluation and information collected under subdivision
5.
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new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin Expiration. new text end

new text begin The task force shall expire upon submission of the report required
under subdivision 6, or February 15, 2024, whichever is later.
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new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2023.
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Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS; SERVICES FOR AT-RISK JUVENILES.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Prevention services grants. new text end

new text begin (a) As used in this subdivision, "prevention
services" includes but is not limited to:
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new text begin (1) community-based violence prevention programs;
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new text begin (2) preventative mental health and substance abuse services with a focus on youth;
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new text begin (3) truancy reduction programs;
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new text begin (4) programs offering culturally competent support for youth victims of trauma;
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new text begin (5) programs that offer support for single parents or peer-to-peer support for parents;
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new text begin (6) wraparound services to ensure at-risk youth receive full support;
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new text begin (7) community-centered programs that offer youth activities and colocated mental health
services, such as youth centers and recreational leagues;
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new text begin (8) noncolonized behavioral health interventions for youth;
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new text begin (9) programs that offer support for children of incarcerated parents; and
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new text begin (10) programs that provide or facilitate restorative practices.
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new text begin (b) $....... in fiscal year 2024 and $....... in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated from the
general fund to the commissioner of public safety for grants to local units of government,
federally recognized Indian Tribes within the boundaries of Minnesota, and nonprofits to
be used to provide prevention services to prevent juveniles from entering the criminal or
juvenile justice system.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Intervention services grants. new text end

new text begin (a) As used in this subdivision, "intervention
services" includes but is not limited to:
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new text begin (1) programs that work to disrupt the cycle of violence by providing space for community
healing and wraparound services to communities and individuals who have been impacted
by group or gun violence, including those who have caused harm;
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new text begin (2) programs that work directly with youth who have experienced or caused violence to
provide intervention and healing services and that work with youth to prevent future
incidents;
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new text begin (3) programs that provide education, training, and counseling designed to reduce domestic
and family violence and assist victims of that violence;
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new text begin (4) programs that provide support and assistance to individuals seeking chemical
dependency treatment; and
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new text begin (5) programs that provide support and assistance to individuals in need of mental health
treatment and services.
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new text begin (b) $....... in fiscal year 2024 and $....... in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated from the
general fund to the commissioner of public safety for grants to local units of government,
federally recognized Indian Tribes within the boundaries of Minnesota, and nonprofits to
be used to provide intervention services to support work to intervene on behalf of youth
who are interacting with the criminal or juvenile justice system.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Grants for services that reduce barriers and invest in communities. new text end

new text begin (a) As
used in this subdivision, "services that reduce barriers" includes but is not limited to:
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new text begin (1) youth employment programs, including on-the-job training;
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new text begin (2) youth employment or internship opportunities in creative mediums and small business
development;
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new text begin (3) mentorship programs with a focus on individualized guidance counseling, career
counseling, and mental health support for justice-involved youth; and
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new text begin (4) programs that reduce barriers to accessing other services, including but not limited
to transportation assistance, assistance with broadband Internet access, and technology
support.
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new text begin (b) $....... in fiscal year 2024 and $....... in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated from the
general fund to the commissioner of public safety for grants to local units of government,
federally recognized Indian Tribes within the boundaries of Minnesota, and nonprofits to
be used to provide services that reduce barriers for youth in avoiding the criminal or juvenile
justice system and to increase investment in their communities.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Expedited disbursement. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of public safety shall prepare
and make available to the public application materials for grants issued under this section
within three months of an appropriation being made to fund the grants.
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new text begin (b) The commissioner shall ensure that grant applications are received and reviewed
and awards are made within six months of an appropriation being made to fund the grants.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Grant program administration; reports required. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of
public safety shall ensure that the administration of grants under this section is conducted
by the Office of Justice Programs.
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new text begin (b) Up to 2.5 percent of the appropriations in this section may be used by the
commissioner to administer the grants.
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new text begin (c) The base amount for the grants is $....... in fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Beginning in
fiscal year 2028 and thereafter, the base amount for activities under this section is $0. Any
unspent money from this appropriation does not cancel but is available until expended.
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new text begin (d) Applicants for grants under this section must submit an application in the form and
manner established by the commissioner. Applicants must specify the type of grant being
applied for under this section and describe the ways in which grant funds will be used in a
manner that satisfies the requirements for the individual grant.
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new text begin (e) When awarding grants under this section, the commissioner shall prioritize programs
that provide culturally specific programming, programs provided by federally recognized
Indian Tribes within the boundaries of Minnesota, and programs that provide gender-specific
programming. A local unit of government may apply for grants to be used by that applicant
to provide one or more services or as part of a collaborative multijurisdictional group of
governmental units.
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new text begin (f) By February 1 each year, the commissioner shall report to the chairs and ranking
minority members of the legislative committees and divisions having jurisdiction over
criminal justice finance and policy on the implementation, use, and administration of the
grant programs created under this section. At a minimum, the report must identify:
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new text begin (1) the grant recipients;
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new text begin (2) the geographic location of the grant recipients;
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new text begin (3) the total number of individuals served by all grant recipients, disaggregated by race,
ethnicity, gender, and disability status;
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new text begin (4) the total number of individuals who successfully completed programming,
disaggregated by age, race, ethnicity, gender, and disability status;
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new text begin (5) the total amount of money awarded in grants and the total amount remaining to be
awarded from each appropriation;
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new text begin (6) the amount of money granted to each recipient;
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new text begin (7) the purpose of the grant;
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new text begin (8) the geographic location of the grant recipient;
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new text begin (9) information on how the grant was used; and
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new text begin (10) a summary of relevant measurable outcomes for participants in the program,
including but not limited to rates of employment, truancy, delinquency, community
engagement, performance in school, and ability to access other supportive services.
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Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATION; TASK FORCE ON YOUTH INTERVENTIONS.
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new text begin $500,000 in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the general fund to the Legislative
Coordinating Commission for the Task Force on Youth Interventions. This is a onetime
appropriation.
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