1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to families; creating a trust fund for 
  1.3             families and children; appropriating money; proposing 
  1.4             coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 119A.
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [119A.55] [CITATION.] 
  1.7      Sections 119A.55 to 119A.58 may be cited as the "Trust Fund 
  1.8   to Support Innovation and Self-Sufficiency in Families and 
  1.9   Children Act." 
  1.10     Sec. 2.  [119A.56] [PURPOSE.] 
  1.11     The legislature finds it is a priority to identify and 
  1.12  support effective investments in families to support the healthy 
  1.13  development of children and promote family self-sufficiency.  
  1.14  The legislature also finds it is a priority to seek investments 
  1.15  in innovative service delivery that address the multifaceted 
  1.16  needs of successful families through combined community 
  1.17  resources, institutions, and programs.  Cooperative programs 
  1.18  deliver benefits to both the participating families and the 
  1.19  broader community by decreasing inefficiencies, improving 
  1.20  consistency, and building capacity.  The state should therefore 
  1.21  commit to funding innovative, efficient, and family-focused 
  1.22  programs that support self-sufficiency. 
  1.23     Sec. 3.  [119A.57] [DEFINITIONS.] 
  1.24     Subdivision 1.  [SCOPE.] The definitions in this section 
  1.25  apply to sections 119A.57 and 119A.58. 
  2.1      Subd. 2.  [COMMISSIONER.] "Commissioner" means the 
  2.2   commissioner of children, families, and learning. 
  2.3      Subd. 3.  [TRUST FUND.] "Trust fund" means the trust fund 
  2.4   established in section 119A.55 to support innovation and 
  2.5   self-sufficiency for families and children. 
  2.6      Sec. 4.  [119A.58] [TRUST FUND.] 
  2.7      Subdivision 1.  [CREATION OF TRUST FUND.] A trust fund to 
  2.8   support innovation and self-sufficiency for families and 
  2.9   children is established as an account in the state treasury.  
  2.10  The commissioner of finance shall credit to the trust fund all 
  2.11  amounts appropriated to the trust fund and amounts received 
  2.12  under subdivision 2.  The state board of investment shall ensure 
  2.13  that trust fund money is invested under section 11A.24.  All 
  2.14  money earned by the trust fund must be credited to the trust 
  2.15  fund.  The principal of the endowment fund and any unexpended 
  2.16  earnings must be invested and reinvested by the state board of 
  2.17  investment. 
  2.18     Subd. 2.  [GIFTS AND DONATIONS.] Gifts and donations may be 
  2.19  made to the trust fund and must be credited immediately to the 
  2.20  principal of the trust fund. 
  2.21     Subd. 3.  [AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR DISBURSEMENT.] One 
  2.22  hundred percent of the earnings credited to the trust fund the 
  2.23  previous fiscal year are appropriated annually to the 
  2.24  commissioner and are available for disbursement according to 
  2.25  this section.  At the end of each fiscal year, any earnings not 
  2.26  disbursed must be returned to the general fund.  
  2.27     Subd. 4.  [RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSIONER.] (a) The 
  2.28  commissioner shall: 
  2.29     (1) provide for the coordination and exchange of 
  2.30  information on the establishment and support for innovative 
  2.31  family programs that promote self-sufficiency; 
  2.32     (2) develop and publish criteria for receiving trust fund 
  2.33  money by innovative family self-sufficiency programs through 
  2.34  collaborative services; 
  2.35     (3) review, approve, and monitor the spending of trust fund 
  2.36  money by innovative family self-sufficiency programs; 
  3.1      (4) accept and review applications for funding from 
  3.2   disbursements from the trust fund beginning June 1, 2000; and 
  3.3      (5) annually report to the legislature on the performance 
  3.4   of all grantees and the effectiveness of grants under this 
  3.5   section. 
  3.6      Subd. 5.  [ELIGIBLE USES.] Disbursements from the trust 
  3.7   fund must be used to support innovative family service delivery 
  3.8   programs that focus on childhood development and family 
  3.9   self-sufficiency consistent with the purpose of the trust fund 
  3.10  in section 119A.56.  The grants under this section must involve 
  3.11  collaboration in program delivery.  The collaborative may 
  3.12  include political subdivisions, agencies, community 
  3.13  organizations, and institutions working cooperatively to provide 
  3.14  innovative family service delivery programs, including, but not 
  3.15  limited to: 
  3.16     (1) providing family-centered services, including child 
  3.17  care and child development programs in a multiservice center; 
  3.18     (2) coordinating services for families to avoid duplication 
  3.19  in program assessment and delivery; 
  3.20     (3) supporting programs to involve families in 
  3.21  family-centered early education, maternal, child and family 
  3.22  health, and development programs; and 
  3.23     (4) focusing efforts on early identification and early 
  3.24  intervention to ensure appropriate preparation for school and 
  3.25  parental involvement with child development and education; and 
  3.26     (5) increasing community involvement and community 
  3.27  partnerships to provide support for children and families during 
  3.28  the critical after-school and summer periods. 
  3.29     Subd. 6.  [SUPPLEMENT EXISTING FUNDS.] Funding from the 
  3.30  trust fund must be used to supplement and not replace funding 
  3.31  from existing sources.  Funding may be used for coordination of 
  3.32  services, collaboration between entities, service delivery, and 
  3.33  capital costs. 
  3.34     Subd. 7.  [APPLICATION.] The commissioner must develop 
  3.35  procedures, guidelines, and application forms for applying for 
  3.36  funds from the trust fund.  The application must, at a minimum, 
  4.1   describe the family self-sufficiency focus, innovation and 
  4.2   efficiencies created by the program, collaborative partners, 
  4.3   purpose of the funding, and other resources and sources of 
  4.4   funds.  The commissioner may establish an advisory group to 
  4.5   review fund applications and make funding recommendations. 
  4.6      Subd. 8.  [ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE.] Administrative expenses 
  4.7   may not exceed five percent of the amount available for 
  4.8   disbursement, including technical assistance and evaluation. 
  4.9      Sec. 5.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.10     $30,000,000 is appropriated each year of the biennium 
  4.11  ending June 30, 2001, from the general fund to the trust fund 
  4.12  for innovation and self-sufficiency in families and children.