1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to children; directing the commissioner of 
  1.3             children, families, and learning to develop a plan for 
  1.4             consolidating child care and early childhood education 
  1.5             programs. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [PLAN FOR CONSOLIDATION.] 
  1.8      The commissioner of children, families, and learning must 
  1.9   develop a plan for consolidating child care and early childhood 
  1.10  education programs and services.  The plan must focus on 
  1.11  cost-efficient delivery of services and address central location 
  1.12  of programs, integration of programs under common management, 
  1.13  ease of accessibility to services by families, nontraditional 
  1.14  hours of child care, infant care, sick child care, special needs 
  1.15  child care, and legislative simplification of programs.  The 
  1.16  plan must contain budget recommendations, proposed legislation 
  1.17  in draft form, and recommendations for financial incentives to 
  1.18  reward programs that provide cooperative services.  The 
  1.19  commissioner must report on the plan by January 15, 2001, to the 
  1.20  senate and house committees having jurisdiction over child care 
  1.21  and early childhood education programs.