1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to children; requiring the commissioner of human services to study the 
1.3 	disproportionate representation of black and Indian children in out-of-home 
1.4 	placements.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. STUDY OF OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN IN THE CHILD 
1.7 	WELFARE SYSTEM.
 1.8 	(a) The commissioner of human services, in consultation with representatives of 
1.9 	communities of color, child advocates, representatives of courts, local social service 
1.10 	agencies, and other interested parties, shall study why black and Indian children in 
1.11 	Minnesota are disproportionately represented in child welfare out-of-home placements. 
1.12 	The commissioner shall study each stage of the proceedings concerning children in need 
1.13 	of protection or services, including the point at which children enter the child welfare 
1.14 	system, each decision-making point in the child welfare system, and the outcomes for 
1.15 	children in the child welfare system, to determine why outcomes for children differ by 
1.16 	race. The commissioner shall study and determine if there are decision-making points 
1.17 	in the child welfare system that lead to different outcomes for children and how those 
1.18 	decision-making points affect outcomes for children. The commissioner shall study and 
1.19 	determine if, given similar fact patterns, parents of black and Indian children are treated 
1.20 	differently than parents of white children. The commissioner shall report and make 
1.21 	legislative recommendations on the following:
1.22 	(1) methods by which local social service agencies can provide supports and 
1.23 	interventions to parents of black and Indian children in order to decrease the number of 
1.24 	children removed from their parent's care;
2.1 	(2) training needed to reduce identified bias in the child welfare system; and
2.2 	(3) methods to reduce the number and duration of out-of-home placements for 
2.3 	black and Indian children.
2.4 	(b) The commissioner shall submit the report and recommended legislation to the 
2.5 	chairs and ranking minority members of the committees in the house of representatives 
2.6 	and senate with jurisdiction over child protection and out-of-home placement issues by 
2.7 	January 15, 2016.