SF 3372

1st Unofficial Engrossment - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 03/21/2022 04:21pm

A bill for an act
relating to higher education; appropriating money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
research; requiring a report.

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

Section 1. new text begin APPROPRIATION; ALS RESEARCH.
new text end

new text begin (a) $20,000,000 in fiscal year 2023 is appropriated from the general fund to the
commissioner of the Office of Higher Education to award competitive grants to applicants
for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The commissioner may work with
the Minnesota Department of Health to administer the grant program, including identifying
clinical and translational research and innovations, developing outcomes and objectives
with the goal of bettering the lives of individuals with ALS and finding a cure for the disease,
and application review and grant recipient selection. Not more than $400,000 may be used
by the commissioner to administer the grant program.
new text end

new text begin (b) Grants shall be awarded to support clinical and translational research related to ALS.
Research topics may include but are not limited to environmental factors, disease
mechanisms, disease models, biomarkers, drug development, clinical studies, precision
medicine, medical devices, assistive technology, and cognitive studies.
new text end

new text begin (c) Eligible applicants for the grants are research facilities, universities, and health
systems located in Minnesota. Applicants must submit proposals to the commissioner in
the time, form, and manner established by the commissioner. Applicants may coordinate
research endeavors and submit a joint application. When reviewing the proposals, the
commissioner shall make an effort to avoid approving a grant for an applicant whose research
is duplicative of an existing grantee's research.
new text end

new text begin (d) Beginning January 15, 2023, and annually thereafter until January 15, 2027, the
commissioner shall submit a report to the legislature specifying the applicants receiving
grants under this section, the amount of each grant, the purposes for which the grant funds
were used, and the amount of the appropriation that is unexpended. The report must also
include relevant findings, results, and outcomes of the grant program, and any other
information which the commissioner deems significant or useful.
new text end

new text begin (e) This is a onetime appropriation. Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 16A.28,
unencumbered balances under this section do not cancel until June 30, 2026.
new text end