1.1                          A bill for an act  
  1.2             relating to family and early childhood programs; 
  1.3             providing child care assistance for certain MFIP 
  1.4             families; establishing intensive ESL programming 
  1.5             grants for certain MFIP families; providing 
  1.6             uninterrupted child care assistance for transition 
  1.7             year families; appropriating money; amending Laws 
  1.8             1999, chapter 205, article 3, section 5, subdivision 9.
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  [SOCIAL SERVICE CHILD CARE POOL FOR MFIP CHILD 
  1.11  CARE.] 
  1.12     (a) The commissioner of children, families, and learning 
  1.13  shall use funds appropriated under section 4 to establish a MFIP 
  1.14  social services child care pool to provide child care assistance 
  1.15  for eligible MFIP families participating in social service 
  1.16  activities under paragraph (b) as an approved activity. 
  1.17     At the end of each allocation period, any unspent funds in 
  1.18  the MFIP social services child care pool must be used for child 
  1.19  care assistance under Minnesota Statutes, section 119B.03.  The 
  1.20  commissioner must notify the chairs of the family and early 
  1.21  childhood finance committees in the house and the senate if 
  1.22  expenditures from the MFIP social services child care pool are 
  1.23  expected to exceed the amount of money available. 
  1.24     (b) To be eligible for social service child care 
  1.25  assistance, an MFIP participant must be participating in 
  1.26  chemical dependency social services or mental health social 
  1.27  services as an approved activity in the participant's employment 
  2.1   plan or job search support plan under Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.2   section 256J.52.  Child care assistance may be provided to an 
  2.3   eligible MFIP participant for the amount of time necessary to 
  2.4   participate in the approved social service plus reasonable 
  2.5   travel time. 
  2.6      (c) The county providing child care assistance must notify 
  2.7   the commissioner through the quarterly reporting process of any 
  2.8   family that meets the criteria of the MFIP social services child 
  2.9   care assistance pool. 
  2.10     This section expires on June 30, 2003. 
  2.11     Sec. 2.  [INTENSIVE ESL GRANTS.] 
  2.12     The commissioner of children, families, and learning shall 
  2.13  establish a grant program to fund intensive English as a second 
  2.14  language programs for eligible adults who participate in the 
  2.15  MFIP program under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256J, with funds 
  2.16  appropriated under section 4.  Intensive ESL programming must 
  2.17  provide intensive instruction for MFIP participants who are 
  2.18  making inadequate literacy progress as measured by a standard 
  2.19  assessment test.  The intensive instruction must be focused on 
  2.20  participants' gaining sufficient literacy to achieve 
  2.21  self-sufficiency through employment. 
  2.22     Organizations eligible for grants under this section 
  2.23  include adult basic education programs, school districts, 
  2.24  post-secondary institutions, and nonprofit or community-based 
  2.25  organizations or other private organizations with experience in 
  2.26  providing English language instruction to non-English speaking 
  2.27  immigrants and refugees.  Grant applications must contain 
  2.28  information required by the commissioner in the form prescribed 
  2.29  by the commissioner.  At a minimum, the application must 
  2.30  document experience in literacy programs serving immigrants and 
  2.31  refugees, describe fiscal accounting systems and reporting 
  2.32  capacity, ensure that administrative expenses are limited to 
  2.33  five percent of grant funds, and provide a description of the 
  2.34  proposed instructional services and training plans.  The 
  2.35  intensive ESL grant program expires on June 30, 2003. 
  2.36     Sec. 3.  Laws 1999, chapter 205, article 3, section 5, 
  3.1   subdivision 9, is amended to read: 
  3.2      Subd. 9.  [MALE RESPONSIBILITY AND FATHERING GRANTS.] For 
  3.3   grants according to Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.33: 
  3.4        $250,000       .....     2000 
  3.5        $250,000       .....     2001
  3.6      Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is 
  3.7   available in the second year.  
  3.8      This must be a base appropriation for fiscal years 2002 and 
  3.9   2003. 
  3.10     Sec. 4.  [TANF APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.11     Subdivision 1.  [DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND 
  3.12  LEARNING.] The sums indicated in this section for fiscal years 
  3.13  2001 to 2003 are appropriated to the commissioner of human 
  3.14  services from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy 
  3.15  Families (TANF) block grant funds authorized under United States 
  3.16  Code, title 42, section 601 et seq., and awarded in federal 
  3.17  fiscal years 2000 to 2002, and are transferred to the department 
  3.18  of children, families, and learning for the fiscal years 
  3.19  indicated for use as provided in this section. 
  3.20     Subd. 2.  [MALE RESPONSIBILITY AND FATHERING GRANTS.] For 
  3.21  grants according to Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.33: 
  3.22       $250,000       .....     2001 
  3.23     Subd. 3.  [INTENSIVE ESL GRANTS.] For intensive ESL grants 
  3.24  for eligible MFIP participants under section 2: 
  3.25       $1,000,000     .....     2001
  3.26       $1,000,000     .....     2002
  3.27       $1,000,000     .....     2003
  3.28     Balance may be carried forward one fiscal year. 
  3.29     Subd. 4.  [SOCIAL SERVICE CHILD CARE POOL FOR MFIP CHILD 
  3.30  CARE.] For social service child care costs of eligible MFIP 
  3.31  participants under section 1: 
  3.32       $3,500,000     .....     2001
  3.33       $3,450,000     .....     2002
  3.34       $3,140,000     .....     2003
  3.35     Subd. 5.  [TRANSITION YEAR FAMILIES.] To provide 
  3.36  uninterrupted assistance under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  4.1   119B.03, for families completing transition year child care 
  4.2   assistance: 
  4.3        $2,870,000     .....     2001
  4.4        $3,950,000     .....     2002
  4.5        $4,450,000     .....     2003
  4.6      A balance may be carried forward one fiscal year.  Any 
  4.7   amount remaining in fiscal year 2003 that is not needed for 
  4.8   uninterrupted child care must be used for assistance under 
  4.9   Minnesota Statutes, section 119B.03.