1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; early childhood; modifying the 
  1.3             definition of child; establishing a pool of up to two 
  1.4             percent of the annual appropriation to provide 
  1.5             assistance to children age 14; amending Minnesota 
  1.6             Statutes 2000, sections 119B.011, subdivision 4; 
  1.7             119B.02, subdivision 1.  
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 119B.011, 
  1.10  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 4.  [CHILD.] "Child" means a person 12 14 years old 
  1.12  or younger, or a person age 13 or 14 who is including 
  1.13  handicapped children, as defined in section 125A.02. 
  1.14     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001.  
  1.15     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 119B.02, 
  1.16  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.17     Subdivision 1.  [CHILD CARE SERVICES.] (a) The commissioner 
  1.18  shall must develop standards for county and human services 
  1.19  boards to provide child care services to enable eligible 
  1.20  families to participate in employment, training, or education 
  1.21  programs.  
  1.22     (b) Within the limits of available appropriations, the 
  1.23  commissioner shall must distribute money to counties to reduce 
  1.24  the costs of child care for eligible families. 
  1.25     (c) The commissioner shall must adopt rules to govern the 
  1.26  program in accordance with this section.  The rules must 
  2.1   establish a sliding schedule of fees for parents receiving child 
  2.2   care services.  The rules shall must provide that funds received 
  2.3   as a lump sum payment of child support arrearages shall must not 
  2.4   be counted as income to a family in the month received but shall 
  2.5   must be prorated over the 12 months following receipt and added 
  2.6   to the family income during those months.  In the rules adopted 
  2.7   under this section, county and human services boards shall must 
  2.8   be authorized to establish policies for payment of child care 
  2.9   spaces for absent children, when the payment is required by the 
  2.10  child's regular provider.  The rules shall must not set a 
  2.11  maximum number of days for which absence payments can be made, 
  2.12  but instead shall must direct the county agency to set limits 
  2.13  and pay for absences according to the prevailing market practice 
  2.14  in the county.  County policies for payment of absences shall 
  2.15  must be subject to the approval of the commissioner. 
  2.16     (d) The commissioner shall must maximize the use of federal 
  2.17  money under title I and title IV of Public Law Number 104-193, 
  2.18  the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation 
  2.19  Act of 1996, and other programs that provide federal or state 
  2.20  reimbursement for child care services for low-income families 
  2.21  who are in education, training, job search, or other activities 
  2.22  allowed under those programs.  Money appropriated under this 
  2.23  section must be coordinated with the programs that provide 
  2.24  federal reimbursement for child care services to accomplish this 
  2.25  purpose.  Federal reimbursement obtained must be allocated to 
  2.26  the county that spent money for child care that is federally 
  2.27  reimbursable under programs that provide federal reimbursement 
  2.28  for child care services.  
  2.29     (e) The counties shall must use the federal money to expand 
  2.30  child care services.  
  2.31     (f) The commissioner may adopt rules under chapter 14 to 
  2.32  implement and coordinate federal program requirements. 
  2.33     (g) Subject to federal match and maintenance of effort 
  2.34  requirements for the child care and development fund, the 
  2.35  commissioner must establish a pool of up to two percent of the 
  2.36  annual state appropriation for child care assistance to provide 
  3.1   assistance to children ages 13 and 14.  At the end of a fiscal 
  3.2   year, the commissioner may carry forward any unspent funds under 
  3.3   this paragraph to the next fiscal year within the same fiscal 
  3.4   biennium to provide assistance to children ages 13 and 14.  
  3.5      <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001.