1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to child care; creating a child care staff 
  1.3             retention initiative; appropriating money; proposing 
  1.4             coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 119B.
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [119B.30] [CHILD CARE STAFF RETENTION 
  1.7   INITIATIVE.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The child care staff 
  1.9   retention initiative is created in an attempt to reduce the high 
  1.10  turnover rate of child care professionals and family home child 
  1.11  care providers.  The initiative will provide a supplemental 
  1.12  payment directly to the child care worker.  The amount of the 
  1.13  supplement is based on training and experience. 
  1.14     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY.] In order to be eligible for the 
  1.15  supplemental payment: 
  1.16     (1) the child care center in which the staff person is 
  1.17  employed or the family home provider must be licensed by the 
  1.18  department of human services or must be employed by a public 
  1.19  school providing care in a school-age child care program; 
  1.20     (2) the child care provider must have worked as a child 
  1.21  care provider for at least one year and must be working at the 
  1.22  same location when applying for the supplemental payment; and 
  1.23     (3) the child care provider must be making an hourly wage 
  1.24  that is less than the hourly wage equivalent of elementary 
  1.25  teachers in the school district. 
  2.1      Subd. 3.  [SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENT.] The supplement must range 
  2.2   from $750 to $3,500 total per year per child care worker, 
  2.3   depending on training and experience.  A supplemental payment 
  2.4   equaling 50 percent of the total supplement must be provided to 
  2.5   the child care worker every six months.  Increments for training 
  2.6   must be based on the department of human services licensing 
  2.7   guidelines and the combination of training and experience must 
  2.8   be considered in determining the amount of the supplement.  The 
  2.9   supplement must be sent directly to the provider. 
  2.10     The department of children, families, and learning shall 
  2.11  issue a request for proposals for purposes of administering the 
  2.12  program and developing the supplemental increments for 
  2.13  distribution to the eligible providers. 
  2.14     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.15     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.16  commissioner of children, families, and learning for the 
  2.17  biennium ending June 30, 2001, for the purposes of section 1.