1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; providing for a system redesign of support services for 
1.3 	homeless families; modifying eligibility for early learning scholarships; requiring 
1.4 	a report; appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 
1.5 	124D.165, subdivision 2.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 124D.165, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.8 		Subd. 2.Family eligibility. (a) For a family to receive an early learning scholarship, 
1.9 	parents or guardians must meet the following eligibility requirements:
1.10 	(1) have a child three or four years of age on September 1 of the current school year, 
1.11 	who has not yet started kindergarten; and
1.12 	(2) have income equal to or less than 185 percent of federal poverty level income in the 
1.13 	current calendar year, or be able to document their child's current participation in the free 
1.14 	and reduced-price lunch program or child and adult care food program, National School 
1.15 	Lunch Act, United States Code, title 42, sections 1751 and 1766; the Food Distribution 
1.16 	Program on Indian Reservations, Food and Nutrition Act, United States Code, title 7, sections 
1.17 	2011-2036; Head Start under the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act 
1.18 	of 2007; Minnesota family investment program under chapter 256J; child care assistance 
1.19 	programs under chapter 119B; the supplemental nutrition assistance program; or placement 
1.20 	in foster care under section 260C.212.
1.21 	(b) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, a parent under age 21 who is 
1.22 	pursuing a high school or general education equivalency diploma is eligible for an early 
2.1 	learning scholarship if the parent has a child age zero to five years old and meets the income 
2.2 	eligibility guidelines in this subdivision.
2.3 	(c) Any siblings between the ages zero to five years old of a child who has been awarded 
2.4 	a scholarship under this section must be awarded a scholarship upon request, provided the 
2.5 	sibling attends the same program as long as funds are available.
2.6 	(d) A child who has received a scholarship under this section must continue to receive 
2.7 	a scholarship each year until that child is eligible for kindergarten under section 120A.20
2.8 	and as long as funds are available.
2.9 	(e) Early learning scholarships may not be counted as earned income for the purposes 
2.10 	of medical assistance under chapter 256B, MinnesotaCare under chapter 256L, Minnesota 
2.11 	family investment program under chapter 256J, child care assistance programs under chapter 
2.12 	119B, or Head Start under the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 
2.13 	2007.
2.14 	(f) A child from an adjoining state whose family resides at a Minnesota address as 
2.15 	assigned by the United States Postal Service, who has received developmental screening 
2.16 	under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19, who intends to enroll in a Minnesota school district, 
2.17 	and whose family meets the criteria of paragraph (a) is eligible for an early learning 
2.18 	scholarship under this section.
2.19 	(g) A child whose family is homeless and meets the criteria in paragraph (a), clause (1), 
2.20 	is eligible for an early learning scholarship under this section.

2.21 	Sec. 2. SYSTEM REDESIGN; HOMELESS CHILDREN SUPPORTS.
 2.22 	The Children's Cabinet must create a plan for a cross-agency system that provides support 
2.23 	for homeless families, especially those with a child up to four years of age, to access available 
2.24 	services. The Children's Cabinet shall create the plan in consultation with the Department 
2.25 	of Education, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Health, the Minnesota 
2.26 	Housing Finance Agency, and stakeholders, including counties, school districts, and nonprofit 
2.27 	organizations. The redesigned system must address issues including:
2.28 	(1) implementation methodology that addresses differences in service delivery in rural 
2.29 	versus urban settings;
2.30 	(2) a training pipeline to increase qualified staff for service providers, including staff of 
2.31 	color;
3.1 	(3) statewide entry and intake forms to assess and identify the educational and 
3.2 	developmental needs of the child;
3.3 	(4) a support plan that follows the child even after the child is no longer homeless;
3.4 	(5) a common data system that allows for easier sharing of data and the plan components 
3.5 	for each child between local entities;
3.6 	(6) identifying and supporting a community outreach system;
3.7 	(7) personalizing assistance for a homeless child and the child's family to help  the child 
3.8 	and the family navigate systems and resources;
3.9 	(8) transportation options to access services; and
3.10 	(9) methods to ensure that all state-funded programs and services for a homeless child 
3.11 	are adequately staffed with personnel who are trained on the specifics of the program and 
3.12 	receive professional development to handle complex, intergenerational trauma.
3.13 	The Children's Cabinet must report findings and recommendations regarding the plan, along 
3.14 	with draft legislation, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative 
3.15 	committees having jurisdiction over early childhood through grade 12 education, housing, 
3.16 	and human services policy by January 23, 2018.

3.17 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION.
 3.18 	For the Children's Cabinet system redesign report to the legislature:

3.19		$
	200,000
	.....
	2018