1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; establishing a shelter-linked youth mental health grant 
1.3 	program to provide mental health services to youth experiencing homelessness or 
1.4 	sexual exploitation; requiring reports; appropriating money;amending Minnesota 
1.5 	Statutes 2018, section 256K.45, subdivision 2; proposing coding for new law in 
1.6 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256K.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 256K.45, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.9 		Subd. 2.Homeless youth report. The commissioner shall prepare a biennial report, 
1.10 	beginning in February 2015, which provides meaningful information to the legislative 
1.11 	committees having jurisdiction over the issue of homeless youth, that includes, but is not 
1.12 	limited to: (1) a list of the areas of the state with the greatest need for services and housing 
1.13 	for homeless youth, and the level and nature of the needs identified; (2) details about grants 
1.14 	made, including shelter-linked youth mental health grants under section 256K.46; (3) the 
1.15 	distribution of funds throughout the state based on population need; (4) follow-up 
1.16 	information, if available, on the status of homeless youth and whether they have stable 
1.17 	housing two years after services are provided; and (5) any other outcomes for populations 
1.18 	served to determine the effectiveness of the programs and use of funding.

1.19 	Sec. 2. [256K.46] SHELTER-LINKED YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH GRANT 
1.20 	PROGRAM.
1.21 		Subdivision 1.Establishment and authority. (a) The commissioner shall make grants 
1.22 	to provide mental health services to homeless or sexually exploited youth. To be eligible, 
1.23 	housing providers must partner with community-based mental health practitioners to provide 
2.1 	a continuum of mental health services, including short-term crisis response, support for 
2.2 	youth in longer-term housing settings, and ongoing relationships to support youth in other 
2.3 	housing arrangements in the community for homeless or sexually exploited youth.
2.4 	(b) The commissioner shall consult with the commissioner of management and budget 
2.5 	to identify evidence-based mental health services for youth and give priority in awarding 
2.6 	grants to proposals that include evidence-based mental health services for youth.
2.7 	(c) The commissioner may make two-year grants under this section.
2.8 	(d) Money appropriated for this section must be expended on activities described under 
2.9 	subdivision 4, technical assistance, and capacity building to meet the greatest need on a 
2.10 	statewide basis. The commissioner shall provide outreach, technical assistance, and program 
2.11 	development support to increase capacity of new and existing service providers to better 
2.12 	meet needs statewide, particularly in areas where shelter-linked youth mental health services 
2.13 	have not been established, especially in greater Minnesota.
2.14 		Subd. 2.Definitions. (a) The definitions in this subdivision apply to this section.
2.15 	(b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of human services, unless otherwise 
2.16 	indicated.
2.17 	(c) "Housing provider" means a shelter, housing program, or other entity providing 
2.18 	services under the Homeless Youth Act in section 256K.45 and the Safe Harbor for Sexually 
2.19 	Exploited Youth Act in section 145.4716.
2.20 	(d) "Mental health practitioner" has the meaning given in section 245.462, subdivision 
2.21 	17.
2.22 	(e) "Youth" has the meanings given for "homeless youth," "youth at risk for 
2.23 	homelessness," and "runaway" in section 256K.45, subdivision 1a, "sexually exploited 
2.24 	youth" in section 260C.007, subdivision 31, and "youth eligible for services" in section 
2.25 	145.4716, subdivision 3.
2.26 		Subd. 3.Eligibility. An eligible applicant for shelter-linked youth mental health grants 
2.27 	under subdivision 1 is a housing provider that:
2.28 	(1) demonstrates that the provider received targeted trauma training focused on sexual 
2.29 	exploitation and adolescent experiences of homelessness; and
2.30 	(2) partners with a community-based mental health practitioner who has demonstrated 
2.31 	experience or access to training regarding adolescent development and trauma-informed 
2.32 	responses.
3.1 		Subd. 4.Allowable grant activities. (a) Grant recipients may conduct the following 
3.2 	activities with community-based mental health practitioners:
3.3 	(1) develop programming to prepare youth to receive mental health services;
3.4 	(2) provide on-site mental health services, including group skills and therapy sessions. 
3.5 	Grant recipients are encouraged to use evidence-based mental health services;
3.6 	(3) provide mental health case management, as defined in section 256B.0625, subdivision 
3.7 	20; and
3.8 	(4) consult, train, and educate housing provider staff regarding mental health. Grant 
3.9 	recipients are encouraged to provide staff with access to a mental health crisis line 24 hours 
3.10 	a day, seven days a week.
3.11 	(b) Only after promoting and assisting participants with obtaining health insurance 
3.12 	coverage for which the participant is eligible, and only after mental health practitioners bill 
3.13 	covered services to medical assistance or health plan companies, grant recipients may use 
3.14 	grant funds to fill gaps in insurance coverage for mental health services.
3.15 	(c) Grant funds may be used for purchasing equipment, connection charges, on-site 
3.16 	coordination, set-up fees, and site fees to deliver shelter-linked youth mental health services 
3.17 	defined in this subdivision via telemedicine consistent with section 256B.0625, subdivision 
3.18 	3b.
3.19 		Subd. 5.Reporting. Grant recipients shall report annually on the use of shelter-linked 
3.20 	youth mental health grants to the commissioner by December 31, beginning in 2020. Each 
3.21 	report shall include the name and location of the grant recipient, the amount of each grant, 
3.22 	the youth mental health services provided, and the number of youth receiving services. The 
3.23 	commissioner shall determine the form required for the reports and may specify additional 
3.24 	reporting requirements. The commissioner shall include the shelter-linked youth mental 
3.25 	health services program in the biennial report required under section 256K.45, subdivision 
3.26 	2.

3.27 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.
 3.28 		Subdivision 1.Shelter-linked youth mental health grants. $....... in fiscal year 2020 
3.29 	and $....... in fiscal year 2021 are appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
3.30 	of human services for shelter-linked youth mental health grants under Minnesota Statutes, 
3.31 	section 256K.46.
4.1 		Subd. 2.Grant evaluations. (a) $....... in fiscal year 2020 and $....... in fiscal year 2021 
4.2 	are appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of management and budget to 
4.3 	evaluate grant recipients' use of evidence-based mental health services for youth. This is a 
4.4 	onetime appropriation.
4.5 	(b) Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 256K.46, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), 
4.6 	in fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021 only, the commissioner of human services may 
4.7 	award grants to applicants proposing services that are theory-based or promising practices. 
4.8 	In fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021, the commissioner of management and budget, in 
4.9 	consultation with the Department of Human Services, shall conduct program evaluations 
4.10 	using experimental or quasi-experimental designs for projects under Minnesota Statutes, 
4.11 	section 256K.46, that use theory-based or promising practices. Grant recipients must consult 
4.12 	with the commissioner of management and budget and implement the projects to facilitate 
4.13 	the program evaluation and collect and report the information needed to complete the 
4.14 	program evaluation. The commissioner of management and budget, under Minnesota 
4.15 	Statutes, section 15.08, may obtain additional relevant data to support the experimental or 
4.16 	quasi-experimental program evaluation.

4.17 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2019.