1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; increasing MFIP and general assistance cash grants; 
1.3 	appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, sections 256D.01, 
1.4 	subdivision 1a; 256J.24, subdivision 5.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 256D.01, subdivision 1a, is amended to read:
1.7 		Subd. 1a.Standards. (a) A principal objective in providing general assistance is to 
1.8 	provide for single adults, childless couples, or children as defined in section 256D.02, 
1.9 	subdivision 6, ineligible for federal programs who are unable to provide for themselves. 
1.10 	The minimum standard of assistance determines the total amount of the general assistance 
1.11 	grant without separate standards for shelter, utilities, or other needs.
1.12 	(b) ~~The commissioner shall set the standard of assistance for an assistance unit consisting~~ 
1.13 	~~of an adult recipient who is childless and unmarried or living apart from children and spouse~~ 
1.14 	~~and who does not live with a parent or parents or a legal custodian. When the other standards~~ 
1.15 	~~specified in this subdivision increase, this standard must also be increased by the same~~ 
1.16 	~~percentage.~~ Beginning in fiscal year 2020, the commissioner of human services shall adjust 
1.17 	cash grants under this subdivision for inflation based on the CPI-U for the prior calendar 
1.18 	year.
1.19 	(c) For an assistance unit consisting of a single adult who lives with a parent or parents, 
1.20 	the general assistance standard of assistance is the amount that the aid to families with 
1.21 	dependent children standard of assistance, in effect on July 16, 1996, would increase if the 
1.22 	recipient were added as an additional minor child to an assistance unit consisting of the 
1.23 	recipient's parent and all of that parent's family members, except that the standard may not 
2.1 	exceed the standard for a general assistance recipient living alone. Benefits received by a 
2.2 	responsible relative of the assistance unit under the Supplemental Security Income program, 
2.3 	a workers' compensation program, the Minnesota supplemental aid program, or any other 
2.4 	program based on the responsible relative's disability, and any benefits received by a 
2.5 	responsible relative of the assistance unit under the Social Security retirement program, 
2.6 	may not be counted in the determination of eligibility or benefit level for the assistance unit. 
2.7 	Except as provided below, the assistance unit is ineligible for general assistance if the 
2.8 	available resources or the countable income of the assistance unit and the parent or parents 
2.9 	with whom the assistance unit lives are such that a family consisting of the assistance unit's 
2.10 	parent or parents, the parent or parents' other family members and the assistance unit as the 
2.11 	only or additional minor child would be financially ineligible for general assistance. For 
2.12 	the purposes of calculating the countable income of the assistance unit's parent or parents, 
2.13 	the calculation methods must follow the provisions under section 256P.06.
2.14 	(d) For an assistance unit consisting of a childless couple, the standards of assistance 
2.15 	are the same as the first and second adult standards of the aid to families with dependent 
2.16 	children program in effect on July 16, 1996. If one member of the couple is not included in 
2.17 	the general assistance grant, the standard of assistance for the other is the second adult 
2.18 	standard of the aid to families with dependent children program as of July 16, 1996.

2.19 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 256J.24, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
2.20 		Subd. 5.MFIP transitional standard. (a) The MFIP transitional standard is based on 
2.21 	the number of persons in the assistance unit eligible for both food and cash assistance. The 
2.22 	amount of the transitional standard is published annually by the Department of Human 
2.23 	Services.
2.24 	(b) Beginning in fiscal year 2020, the commissioner of human services shall adjust the 
2.25 	cash assistance portion under paragraph (a) for inflation based on the CPI-U for the prior 
2.26 	calendar year.

2.27 	Sec. 3. INCREASED GENERAL ASSISTANCE GRANT.
 2.28 	The following table represents the standard for general assistance under Minnesota 
2.29 	Statutes, section 256D.01, subdivision 1a, effective July 1, 2018:

2.30 | Number of People | Cash
2.31 | 1 | $457
2.32 | 2 | $914

2.33 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2018.

3.1 	Sec. 4. INCREASED MFIP CASH ASSISTANCE PORTION.
 3.2 	The following table represents the MFIP cash assistance portion of the transitional 
3.3 	standard under Minnesota Statutes, section 256J.24, subdivision 5, effective July 1, 2018:

3.4 | Number of Eligible People | Cash Portion
3.5 | 1 | $562
3.6 | 2 | $1,005
3.7 | 3 | $1,318
3.8 | 4 | $1,605
3.9 | 5 | $1,854
3.10 | 6 | $2,135
3.11 | 7 | $2,325
3.12 | 8 | $2,568
3.13 | 9 | $2,808
3.14 | 10 | $3,041
3.15 | Each Additional Person | $230

3.16 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2018.

3.17 	Sec. 5. APPROPRIATION.
 3.18 	$....... in fiscal year 2019 is appropriated from the TANF block grant fund to the 
3.19 	commissioner of human services for purposes of sections 1 to 4.