SF 4453

as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/01/2024 10:01am

A bill for an act
relating to children; modifying Northstar Care for Children benefits for children
under the age of six and children transferred into Northstar Care for Children;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2022, sections 256N.26, subdivision 5; 256N.27,
subdivisions 2, 4.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 256N.26, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Alternate rates for preschool entry and certain transitioned children.

A
child who entered new text begin or enters new text end the Northstar kinship assistance or adoption assistance
components of Northstar Care for Children while under the age of six shall receive deleted text begin 50
percent of the amount the child would otherwise be entitled to deleted text end new text begin the full amount new text end under
subdivisions 3 and 4. deleted text begin The commissioner may also use the 50 percent rate for deleted text end A child who
was transitioned into those components through declaration of the commissioner under
section 256N.28, subdivision 7 new text begin , must receive the full amount under subdivisions 3 and 4 new text end .

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 256N.27, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

State share.

The commissioner shall pay the state share of the maintenance
payments as determined under subdivision 4, and an identical share of the pre-Northstar
Care foster care program under section 260C.4411, subdivision 1, the relative custody
assistance program under section 257.85, and the pre-Northstar Care for Children adoption
assistance program under chapter 259A. new text begin The state share shall include the cost of eliminating
the alternate rates for preschool entry into kinship assistance or adoption assistance and for
children transferring into Northstar Care for Children under section 256N.26, subdivision
5.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 256N.27, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

Subd. 4.

Nonfederal share.

(a) The commissioner shall establish a percentage share of
the maintenance payments, reduced by federal reimbursements under title IV-E of the Social
Security Act, to be paid by the state and to be paid by the financially responsible agency.

(b) These state and local shares must initially be calculated based on the ratio of the
average appropriate expenditures made by the state and all financially responsible agencies
during calendar years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. For purposes of this calculation,
appropriate expenditures for the financially responsible agencies must include basic and
difficulty of care payments for foster care reduced by federal reimbursements, but not
including any initial clothing allowance, administrative payments to child care agencies
specified in section 317A.907, child care, or other support or ancillary expenditures. For
purposes of this calculation, appropriate expenditures for the state shall include adoption
assistance and relative custody assistance, reduced by federal reimbursements.

(c) For each of the periods January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, and fiscal years 2017,
2018, and 2019, the commissioner shall adjust this initial percentage of state and local shares
to reflect the relative expenditure trends during calendar years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014,
taking into account appropriations for Northstar Care for Children new text begin , the cost of eliminating
the alternate rates for preschool entry into kinship assistance or adoption assistance and for
children transferring into Northstar Care for Children under section 256N.26, subdivision
5, new text end and the turnover rates of the components. In making these adjustments, the commissioner's
goal shall be to make these state and local expenditures other than the appropriations for
Northstar Care for Children to be the same as they would have been had Northstar Care for
Children not been implemented, or if that is not possible, proportionally higher or lower,
as appropriate. Except for adjustments so that the costs of the phase-in new text begin and the cost of
eliminating the alternate rates for preschool entry into kinship assistance or adoption
assistance and for children transferring into Northstar Care for Children under section
256N.26, subdivision 5, new text end are borne by the state, the state and local share percentages for
fiscal year 2019 must be used for all subsequent years.