SF 3208

3rd Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 09/28/2016 09:19am

A bill for an act
relating to human services; creating a legislative task force on child care;
requiring a report to the legislature and the governor.

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

Section 1. LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE
CHILD CARE.

Subdivision 1.

Creation.

A legislative task force on child care is created to review
the loss of child care providers in the state, assess affordability issues for providers and
parents, and identify areas that need to be addressed by the legislature.

Subd. 2.

Membership; chair.

(a) Task force members shall include:

(1) four members from the house of representatives: two members appointed by
July 1, 2016, by the speaker of the house and two members appointed by the house
minority leader; and

(2) four members from the senate: two members appointed by July 1, 2016, by the
senate majority leader and two members appointed by the senate minority leader.

(b) The speaker and the majority leader shall each appoint a chair from the
membership of the task force. The chair shall rotate after each meeting. The person
appointed as chair by the senate majority leader shall convene the first meeting of the
task force by September 1, 2016.

Subd. 3.

Duties.

(a) The task force may:

(1) evaluate factors that contribute to child care costs for providers and families;

(2) assess the child care provider shortage in greater Minnesota;

(3) evaluate access to culturally appropriate child care;

(4) review the current preservice and in-service training requirements for family
child care providers and child care center staff. This review shall include training required
for licensure, including staff credentialing for child care center staff positions and the ways
in which this training aligns with Minnesota's Career Lattice and Minnesota's Knowledge
and Competency Framework for Early Childhood and School-Aged Care Practitioners;

(5) review the availability of training that is in place to meet the training needs of
providers, including the content of this training, cost, and delivery methods;

(6) consider creation of a board of child care to be responsible for all matters related
to licensing of child care providers, both in-home and center-based programs, and to
employ an advocate for child care providers;

(7) review the process of issuing and resolving correction orders issued to child
care providers;

(8) consider uniform training requirements for county employees and their
supervisors who perform duties related to licensing;

(9) review progress being made by the commissioner of human services to streamline
paperwork and reduce redundancies for child care providers;

(10) review the time it takes for the department to provide Child Care Assistance
Program reimbursement to providers; and

(11) consider options for conducting exit interviews with providers who leave the
child care field or choose not to be relicensed.

(b) Task force members may receive input from the commissioner of human
services, the commissioner of employment and economic development, providers, and
stakeholders to review all action items.

Subd. 4.

Recommendations and report.

The task force, in cooperation with
the commissioner of human services, shall issue a report to the legislative committees
with jurisdiction over child care issues and the governor by January 15, 2017. The
report must contain summary information obtained during the task force meetings and
recommendations for additional legislative changes and procedures affecting access to
affordable child care.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective the day following final enactment
and sunsets on January 15, 2017.