1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to health care; developing pilot programs to increase early preventive 
1.3 	dental intervention and care for infants, toddlers, and school-aged children; 
1.4 	requiring a report; appropriating money;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.5 	Statutes, chapter 144.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [144.0615] STATEWIDE SCHOOL-BASED SEALANT GRANT 
1.8 	PROGRAM.
1.9 	(a) The commissioner of health shall develop a statewide coordinated dental sealant 
1.10 	program to improve access to preventive dental services for school-aged children. The 
1.11 	program shall focus on developing the data tools necessary to identify the public schools 
1.12 	in the state with students ages six to nine who are in the greatest need of preventive dental 
1.13 	care based on the percentage of students who are low-income and who are either enrolled 
1.14 	in a public health care program or uninsured, and have no access to a school-based sealant 
1.15 	program. In creating this program, the commissioner shall develop an implementation plan 
1.16 	that identifies statewide needs, establishes outcome measures, and provides an evaluation 
1.17 	process based on the outcome measures established.
1.18 	(b) The commissioner shall award grants to nonprofit organizations to provide 
1.19 	school-based sealant programs. The grants shall be available to expand existing school-based 
1.20 	sealant programs and to create new programs in schools that have been identified as 
1.21 	underserved high-risk schools.
1.22 	(c) By March 15, 2018, the commissioner shall submit a report to the chairs and ranking 
1.23 	minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health care, describing 
1.24 	the implementation plan, including the data tools developed, the outcome measures, the 
2.1 	number of grants awarded, and the location of the schools participating in the grants and 
2.2 	the results of the evaluation of the program in terms of improving access to sealants for 
2.3 	school-aged children ages six to nine.

2.4 	Sec. 2. EARLY DENTAL PREVENTION PILOT PROGRAM.
 2.5 	(a) The commissioner of health shall develop and implement a pilot program to increase 
2.6 	awareness and encourage early preventive dental intervention for infants and toddlers. The 
2.7 	commissioner shall award grants to five designated communities of color or recent 
2.8 	immigrants to participate in the pilot program, with at least two designated communities 
2.9 	located in the nonmetropolitan area.
2.10 	(b) The commissioner, in consultation with members of the designated communities, 
2.11 	shall distribute or cause to be distributed the educational materials and information developed 
2.12 	under Minnesota Statutes, section 144.061, to expectant and new parents within the 
2.13 	designated communities, including, but not limited to, making the materials available to 
2.14 	health care providers, community clinics, WIC sites, and other relevant sites within the 
2.15 	designated communities through a variety of communicative means, including oral, visual, 
2.16 	audio, and print.
2.17 	(c) The commissioner shall work with members of each designated community to ensure 
2.18 	that the educational materials and information are distributed. The commissioner shall assist 
2.19 	the designated community with developing strategies, including outreach through ethnic 
2.20 	radio, webcasts, and local cable programs, and incentives to encourage and provide early 
2.21 	preventive dental intervention and care for infants and toddlers that are geared toward the 
2.22 	ethnic groups residing in the designated community.
2.23 	(d) The commissioner shall develop measurable outcomes, establish a baseline 
2.24 	measurement, and evaluate performance within each designated community in order to 
2.25 	measure whether the educational materials, information, strategies, and incentives increased 
2.26 	the numbers of infants and toddlers receiving early preventive dental intervention and care.
2.27 	(e) By March 15, 2019, the commissioner shall submit a report to the chairs and ranking 
2.28 	minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over health care. The 
2.29 	report shall describe:
2.30 	(1) the details of the program;
2.31 	(2) the communities designated for the program;
2.32 	(3) the strategies, including any incentives implemented;
3.1 	(4) the outcome measures used; and
3.2 	(5) the results of the evaluation for each designated community.

3.3 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.
 3.4 	(a) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2018 from the general fund to the commissioner 
3.5 	of health to implement the statewide school-based sealant program under Minnesota Statutes, 
3.6 	section 144.0615.
3.7 	(b) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2018 from the general fund to the commissioner 
3.8 	of health to implement the pilot program to increase awareness and encourage early 
3.9 	preventive dental intervention and care for infants and toddlers.