Minnesota Session Laws - 1990, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1990 

                        CHAPTER 432-S.F.No. 1726 
           An act relating to child care funding; authorizing the 
          commissioner of human services to promulgate rules 
          directing county boards to establish certain payment 
          policies; amending Minnesota Statutes 1989 Supplement, 
          section 256H.02. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1989 Supplement, section 
256H.02, is amended to read: 
    256H.02 [DUTIES OF COMMISSIONER.] 
    The commissioner shall develop standards for county and 
human services boards to provide child care services to enable 
eligible families to participate in employment, training, or 
education programs.  Within the limits of available 
appropriations, the commissioner shall distribute money to 
counties to reduce the costs of child care for eligible 
families.  The commissioner shall adopt rules to govern the 
program in accordance with this section.  The rules must 
establish a sliding schedule of fees for parents receiving child 
care services.  In the rules adopted under this section, county 
and human services boards shall be authorized to establish 
policies for payment of child care spaces for absent children, 
when the payment is required by the child's regular provider.  
The rules shall not set a maximum number of days for which 
absence payments can be made, but instead shall direct the 
county agency to set limits and pay for absences according to 
the prevailing market practice in the county.  County policies 
for payment of absences shall be subject to the approval of the 
commissioner.  The commissioner shall maximize the use of 
federal money under the AFDC employment special needs program in 
section 256.736, subdivision 8, and other programs that provide 
federal reimbursement for child care services for recipients of 
aid to families with dependent children who are in education, 
training, job search, or other activities allowed under those 
programs.  Money appropriated under this section must be 
coordinated with the AFDC employment special needs program and 
other programs that provide federal reimbursement for child care 
services to accomplish this purpose.  Federal reimbursement 
obtained must be allocated to the county that spent money for 
child care that is federally reimbursable under the AFDC 
employment special needs program or other programs that provide 
federal reimbursement for child care services.  The counties 
shall use the federal money to expand services to AFDC 
recipients. 
    Presented to the governor April 12, 1990 
    Signed by the governor April 16, 1990, 4:11 p.m.