1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; establishing a Human Services Transformation 
1.3 	Commission; requiring reports; appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. FINDINGS.
 1.6 	The legislature finds that it is necessary to reform the Department of Human Services. 
1.7 	The legislature finds that a Human Services Transformation Commission should be 
1.8 	established to recommend changes to Minnesota's human services delivery system. It is 
1.9 	necessary to redesign and transform human service programs in Minnesota to:
1.10 	(1) promote better outcomes for Minnesotans;
1.11 	(2) improve the department's program efficiencies and reduce expenditures;
1.12 	(3) increase the department's administrative efficiencies and promote program 
1.13 	simplification;
1.14 	(4) improve the department's partnership with counties, tribes, and private entities that 
1.15 	provide services to residents;
1.16 	(5) create the department's capacity to govern complex service delivery networks;
1.17 	(6) modernize the department's data collection and data sharing agreements with counties 
1.18 	and provider partners.

2.1 	Sec. 2. HUMAN SERVICES TRANSFORMATION COMMISSION.
 2.2 		Subdivision 1.Membership; compensation; chair. (a) The Human Services 
2.3 	Transformation Commission consists of 14 members:
2.4 	(1) eight members appointed by the governor, two of whom must be current Minnesota 
2.5 	county commissioners with leadership experience in health and human service programming, 
2.6 	one of whom must be a current county human services administrator, one of whom is selected 
2.7 	to represent Minnesota tribal nations, two of whom must be business leaders with experience 
2.8 	in health and human services program design, and two of whom must have experience 
2.9 	managing large business enterprises that deliver health and human services programming;
2.10 	(2) three members appointed by the senate majority leader; and
2.11 	(3) three members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
2.12 	(b) The senate majority leader and speaker of the house must appoint individuals with 
2.13 	experience in health and human service programming, technology reform, and complex 
2.14 	business enterprises. Appointees must not be current legislators or state agency heads.
2.15 	(c) The commission shall select two members as cochairs.
2.16 		Subd. 2.Administrative and research support; ex officio membership. The 
2.17 	commissioners of human services and health, or their designees, shall serve as ex officio 
2.18 	members of the commission. The commissioner of human services and other state agency 
2.19 	heads, as requested by the commission, shall provide access to subject matter experts; any 
2.20 	data requested by the commission consistent with federal and state data practice laws, 
2.21 	including data that can be anonymized to allow for it to be shared; and analytical support, 
2.22 	to facilitate the work of the commission.
2.23 		Subd. 3.Staff; office space; equipment. The commission shall select a director to serve 
2.24 	as the chief administrative officer of the commission. The director may hire advisors, 
2.25 	consultants, and employees, as authorized by the commission, and prescribe their duties. 
2.26 	Employees shall be state employees serving in the unclassified service. The commissioner 
2.27 	of administration shall provide to the commission office space and access to office equipment 
2.28 	and administrative services.
2.29 		Subd. 4.Duties. (a) By April 1, 2021, the Human Services Transformation Commission 
2.30 	shall complete an assessment of Minnesota's current human services delivery system, 
2.31 	including a description and evaluation of the effectiveness of the system. The final assessment 
2.32 	should include a comparison of how the overall design of Minnesota's human service delivery 
2.33 	system compares to that of other states, as well as an assessment of Minnesota's response 
3.1 	to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission may include recommendations for initial 
3.2 	enhancements, cost savings measures, structural reforms, or other changes by policymakers, 
3.3 	the Department of Health and Human Services, external consultants, counties or others.
3.4 	(b) By December 1, 2021, the Human Services Transformation Commission shall 
3.5 	recommend how to change, modernize and transform Minnesota's human service program 
3.6 	delivery system to effectively meet the needs of Minnesotans for the next 20 years. In 
3.7 	developing these recommendations, the commission shall:
3.8 	(1) consider the advice and recommendations provided by the Human Services Redesign 
3.9 	Advisors established under subdivision 6;
3.10 	(2) consider the work of previous commissions, the Department of Human Services 
3.11 	integrated services business model and other systems transformation work conducted by 
3.12 	the department and the legislative auditor;
3.13 	(3) describe how the commission's recommendations will improve outcomes, increase 
3.14 	administrative efficiencies, simplify health and human service program delivery, and improve 
3.15 	processes, and innovate technology; and
3.16 	(4) describe how the recommendations will eliminate conflicting and duplicative roles 
3.17 	and responsibilities among state agencies, counties, and tribes.
3.18 	(c) By October 1, 2022, the Human Services Transformation Commission shall revise 
3.19 	its preliminary recommendations based on responses from policymakers and stakeholders, 
3.20 	and develop and present to the legislature and governor an action plan and timeline for 
3.21 	transforming Minnesota's human service system that includes but is not limited to 
3.22 	implementation of revised state agency structures; redesign of technology systems and the 
3.23 	coordination of relevant state agencies to ensure effective implementation of technology 
3.24 	solutions; realignment of roles, responsibilities, and functions for overseeing, administering, 
3.25 	and directly providing human services; and realignment of financial responsibility and 
3.26 	accountability for paying for the costs of programs. This report must provide:
3.27 	(1) an outline of implementation timelines and costs;
3.28 	(2) principles and expectations for routine user testing of human services technology 
3.29 	systems by program participants such as the counties, tribes, and private provider partners;
3.30 	(3) proposed law changes;
3.31 	(4) a set of milestones to track the progress of implementation; and
3.32 	(5) criteria for evaluating the success of implementation.
4.1 	(d) By January 15, 2023, the Human Services Transformation Commission shall develop 
4.2 	and present to the governor and legislature recommendations on whether the work of the 
4.3 	commission should continue and, if recommended to do so, a description of what the 
4.4 	additional work of the commission would include.
4.5 		Subd. 5.Research. The commission may contract with the University of Minnesota to 
4.6 	conduct a comprehensive study of human service programs in Minnesota.
4.7 		Subd. 6.Human Services Redesign Advisory Council. (a) The Human Services 
4.8 	Redesign Advisory Council shall consist of 17 members:
4.9 	(1) nine members shall be appointed by the governor, including three county human 
4.10 	service administrators, two persons representing tribal nations, and four persons who 
4.11 	participate in state human services programs;
4.12 	(2) four members shall be appointed by the senate, two by the senate majority leader 
4.13 	and two by the senate minority leader; and
4.14 	(3) four members by the house of representatives, two by the speaker of the house and 
4.15 	two by the minority leader.
4.16 	(b) The appointees shall represent a constituency served by federal, state, or local human 
4.17 	services programs or entities that deliver human services in Minnesota.
4.18 		Subd. 7.Council duties. The advisory council has lead responsibility for:
4.19 	(1) determining the structure of the existing Minnesota human service delivery system, 
4.20 	including the financial accountabilities of existing human service programs assigned to the 
4.21 	Department of Human Services and the role of the department, other state agencies, counties, 
4.22 	tribes, health care providers, mental health and social service providers, and the federal 
4.23 	government in providing and paying for those services;
4.24 	(2) articulating current human service program design, service delivery systems, program 
4.25 	implementation and program design, culture, and service delivery system factors that 
4.26 	contribute to outcome disparities;
4.27 	(3) analyzing and describing the key trends impacting the delivery of human services, 
4.28 	including the influence of demographic, social, cultural, financial capacity, mobility, or 
4.29 	other trends, and advice on how the commission should think about those trends when 
4.30 	developing recommendations to the legislature and the governor;
4.31 	(4) identifying technology enhancements that program participants believe would 
4.32 	streamline and improve human service program delivery and outcomes; and
5.1 	(5) providing the commission, by March 1, 2021, a report summarizing the results of 
5.2 	the work completed under clauses (1) to (4).
5.3 		Subd. 8.Report. In addition to the required reports above, the commission shall report 
5.4 	by January 1, 2021, and every other year thereafter, on its use of appropriated and donated 
5.5 	resources and an outline of its proposed work for the following two years.

5.6 	Sec. 3. COMMISSION RESOURCES; APPROPRIATION.
 5.7 		Subdivision 1.Contributions. The commission is authorized to receive cash and in-kind 
5.8 	contributions from public and nonpublic foundations, higher education institutions, or others 
5.9 	to support the costs related to research, analysis, meeting facilitation, redesign, and 
5.10 	development of reforms to the state's human service delivery system. Funds contributed for 
5.11 	this purpose are appropriated to the commission and are not contingent upon any 
5.12 	consideration.
5.13 		Subd. 2.Appropriations. $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2021 from the general 
5.14 	fund to the Human Service Transformation Commission for the purposes of section 2 and 
5.15 	is available until June 30, 2023.