1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; establishing the Minnesota 
  1.3             school-to-work student organization foundation; 
  1.4             appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 121. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [121.615] [MINNESOTA SCHOOL-TO-WORK STUDENT 
  1.8   ORGANIZATION.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [CITATION.] This section may be cited as 
  1.10  the "Minnesota school-to-work student organization act." 
  1.11     Subd. 2.  [CREATION OF FOUNDATION.] There is created the 
  1.12  Minnesota school-to-work student organization foundation.  The 
  1.13  purpose of the foundation shall be to promote vocational student 
  1.14  organizations and applied leadership opportunities in Minnesota 
  1.15  public schools through public-private partnerships.  The 
  1.16  foundation shall be a nonprofit organization.  The board of 
  1.17  directors of the foundation and activities of the foundation are 
  1.18  under the direction of the department of children, families, and 
  1.19  learning. 
  1.20     Subd. 3.  [BOARD OF DIRECTORS.] The board of directors of 
  1.21  the school-to-work student organization foundation shall consist 
  1.22  of: 
  1.23     (1) chairs or designees from the board of directors of FFA 
  1.24  (formerly Future Farmers of America), Future Leaders of 
  1.25  America/Future Homemakers of America, post-secondary agriculture 
  2.1   students, home economics related occupations, Health Occupations 
  2.2   Student Association, Distributive Education Clubs of America, 
  2.3   Delta Upsilon Chi, Secondary Vocational Industrial Clubs of 
  2.4   America, Post-secondary Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, 
  2.5   Secondary Business Professionals of America, and Post-secondary 
  2.6   Business Professionals of America; 
  2.7      (2) four members from business and industry appointed by 
  2.8   the governor; 
  2.9      (3) one legislator appointed by the senate majority leader, 
  2.10  one legislator appointed by the senate minority leader, one 
  2.11  legislator appointed by the speaker of the house, and one 
  2.12  legislator appointed by the house minority leader; and 
  2.13     (4) five students representing diverse vocational areas, 
  2.14  three of whom are appointed by the commissioner of the 
  2.15  department of children, families, and learning and two of whom 
  2.16  are appointed by the chancellor of the Minnesota state colleges 
  2.17  and universities with the advice of the executive councils of 
  2.18  each vocational education student organization. 
  2.19     Executive directors of vocational education student 
  2.20  organizations are ex officio, nonvoting members of the board. 
  2.21     Subd. 4.  [FOUNDATION PROGRAMS.] The foundation shall 
  2.22  advance applied leadership and intracurricular vocational 
  2.23  learning experiences for students.  These may include, but are 
  2.24  not limited to: 
  2.25     (1) recognition programs and awards for students 
  2.26  demonstrating excellence in applied leadership; 
  2.27     (2) summer programs for student leadership, career 
  2.28  development, applied academics, and mentorship programs with 
  2.29  business and industry; 
  2.30     (3) recognition programs for teachers, administrators, and 
  2.31  others who make outstanding contributions to school-to-work 
  2.32  programs; 
  2.33     (4) outreach programs to increase the involvement of urban 
  2.34  and suburban students; 
  2.35     (5) organized challenges requiring cooperation and 
  2.36  competition for secondary and post-secondary students; 
  3.1      (6) assistance and training to community teams to increase 
  3.2   career awareness and empowerment of youth as community leaders; 
  3.3   and 
  3.4      (7) assessment and activities in order to plan for and 
  3.5   implement continuous improvement.  
  3.6      To the extent possible, the foundation shall make these 
  3.7   programs available to students in all parts of the state. 
  3.8      Subd. 5.  [POWERS AND DUTIES.] The foundation may: 
  3.9      (1) identify and plan common goals and priorities for the 
  3.10  various school-to-work student organizations in Minnesota; 
  3.11     (2) publish brochures or booklets relating to the purposes 
  3.12  of the foundation and collect reasonable fees for the 
  3.13  publications; 
  3.14     (3) seek and receive public and private money, grants, and 
  3.15  in-kind services and goods from nonstate sources for the 
  3.16  purposes of the foundation; 
  3.17     (4) contract with consultants on behalf of the 
  3.18  school-to-work student organizations; and 
  3.19     (5) plan, implement, and expend money for awards and other 
  3.20  forms of recognition for school-to-work student activities. 
  3.21     Subd. 6.  [CONTRACTS.] The foundation board of directors 
  3.22  shall review and approve foundation personnel and programming 
  3.23  contracts. 
  3.24     Subd. 7.  [FOUNDATION STAFF.] The commissioner of the 
  3.25  department of children, families, and learning shall appoint the 
  3.26  executive director of the foundation and, as necessary, other 
  3.27  staff who shall perform duties and have responsibilities solely 
  3.28  related to the foundation.  The employees appointed are not 
  3.29  state employees under chapter 43A, but are covered under section 
  3.30  3.736.  The employees may participate in the state health and 
  3.31  state insurance plans for employees in unclassified service.  
  3.32     The commissioner shall appoint from the office of lifework 
  3.33  development a liaison to the foundation board. 
  3.34     Subd. 8.  [PUBLIC FUNDING.] The commissioner of the 
  3.35  department of children, families, and learning shall identify 
  3.36  and secure appropriate sources of state and federal funding from 
  4.1   various state agencies, including, but not limited to, Minnesota 
  4.2   state colleges and universities, for the operation and 
  4.3   development of school-to-work student organizations. 
  4.4      Subd. 9.  [PRIVATE FUNDING.] The foundation shall seek 
  4.5   private resources to supplement the allocated state and federal 
  4.6   money.  Individuals, businesses, and other organizations may 
  4.7   contribute to the foundation in any manner specified by the 
  4.8   board of directors. 
  4.9      Subd. 10.  [REPORT.] The foundation shall submit an annual 
  4.10  report and assessment to the office of lifework development and 
  4.11  to the board of trustees of the Minnesota state colleges and 
  4.12  universities. 
  4.13     Subd. 11.  [APPROPRIATION.] There is annually appropriated 
  4.14  to the foundation all the amounts received by the foundation 
  4.15  pursuant to this section. 
  4.16     Subd. 12.  [STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS.] Individual boards of 
  4.17  vocational education student organizations shall continue their 
  4.18  operations in accordance with section 126.151 and applicable 
  4.19  federal law. 
  4.20     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  4.21     The sums indicated in this section are appropriated from 
  4.22  the general fund to the department of children, families, and 
  4.23  learning for the fiscal year designated. 
  4.24       $516,000       ....     1997 
  4.25     This amount shall be used for maintaining current services 
  4.26  and activities by existing school-to-work student organization. 
  4.27       $148,000       ....     1997 
  4.28     This amount shall be used for foundation programming and 
  4.29  personnel. 
  4.30       $154,000       ....     1997 
  4.31     This amount shall be used for foundation efforts to expand 
  4.32  availability of school-to-work student organizations to urban 
  4.33  and suburban students.