2001 Minnesota Statutes

     256J.625 Local intervention grants for self-sufficiency. 

    Subdivision 1.    Establishment; guaranteed minimum 
 allocation.  (a) The commissioner shall make grants under this 
 subdivision to assist county and tribal TANF programs to more 
 effectively serve hard-to-employ MFIP participants and 
 participants who, within the last 12 months, have been 
 determined under section 256J.42 to no longer be eligible to 
 receive MFIP but whose income is below 120 percent of the 
 federal poverty guidelines for a family of the same size.  Funds 
 appropriated for local intervention grants for self-sufficiency 
 must be allocated first in amounts equal to the guaranteed 
 minimum in paragraph (b), and second according to the provisions 
 of subdivision 2.  Any remaining funds must be allocated 
 according to the formula in subdivision 3.  Counties or tribes 
 must have an approved local service unit plan under section 
 256J.50, subdivision 7, paragraph (b), in order to receive and 
 expend funds under subdivisions 2 and 3.  

    (b) Each county or tribal program shall receive a 
 guaranteed minimum annual allocation of $25,000. 

    Subd. 2.    Set-aside funds.  (a) Of the funds 
 appropriated for grants under this section, after the allocation 
 in subdivision 1, paragraph (b), is made, 20 percent of the 
 remaining funds each year shall be retained by the commissioner 
 and awarded to counties or tribes whose approved plans 
 demonstrate additional need based on their identification of 
 hard-to-employ families, working participants in need of job 
 retention and wage advancement services, and participants who, 
 within the last 12 months, have been determined under section 
 256J.42 to no longer be eligible to receive MFIP but whose 
 income is below 120 percent of the federal poverty guidelines 
 for a family of the same size, strong anticipated outcomes for 
 families and an effective plan for monitoring performance, or, 
 use of a multicounty, multi-entity or regional approach to serve 
 hard-to-employ families, working participants in need of job 
 retention and wage advancement services, and participants who, 
 within the last 12 months, have been determined under section 
 256J.42 to no longer be eligible to receive MFIP but whose 
 income is below 120 percent of the federal poverty guidelines 
 for a family of the same size, who are identified as a target 
 population to be served in the plan submitted under section 
 256J.50, subdivision 7, paragraph (b).  In distributing funds 
 under this paragraph, the commissioner must achieve a geographic 
 balance.  The commissioner may award funds under this paragraph 
 to other public, private, or nonprofit entities to deliver 
 services in a county or region where the entity or entities 
 submit a plan that demonstrates a strong capability to fulfill 
 the terms of the plan and where the plan shows an innovative or 
 multi-entity approach. 

    (b) For fiscal year 2001 only, of the funds available under 
 this subdivision the commissioner must allocate funding in the 
 amounts specified in article 1, section 2, subdivision 7, for an 
 intensive intervention transitional employment training project 
 and for nontraditional career assistance and training programs.  
 These allocations must occur before any set-aside funds are 
 allocated under paragraph (a). 

    Subd. 2a.    Alternative distribution formula.  (a) By 
 January 31, 2001, the commissioner of human services must 
 develop and present to the appropriate legislative committees a 
 distribution formula that is an alternative to the formula 
 allocation specified in subdivision 3.  The proposed 
 distribution formula must target hard-to-employ MFIP 
 participants, and it must include an incentive-based component 
 that is designed to encourage county and tribal programs to 
 effectively serve hard-to-employ participants.  The 
 commissioner's proposal must also be designed to be implemented 
 for fiscal years 2002 and 2003 in place of the formula 
 allocation specified in subdivision 3. 

    (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision 2, 
 paragraph (a), if the commissioner does not develop a proposed 
 formula as required in paragraph (a), the set-aside funds for 
 fiscal years 2002 and 2003 that the commissioner would otherwise 
 distribute under subdivision 2, paragraph (a), must not be 
 distributed under that provision.  Funds available under 
 subdivision 2, paragraph (a), must instead be allocated in equal 
 amounts to each county and tribal program in fiscal years 2002 
 and 2003. 

    Subd. 3.    Formula allocation.  Funds remaining after 
 the allocations in subdivisions 1 and 2 must be allocated as 
 follows: 

    (1) 85 percent shall be allocated in proportion to each 
 county's and tribal TANF program's one-parent MFIP cases that 
 have received MFIP assistance for at least 25 months, as sampled 
 on December 31 of the previous calendar year, excluding cases 
 where all caregivers are age 60 or over. 

    (2) 15 percent shall be allocated to each county's and 
 tribal TANF program's two-parent MFIP cases that have received 
 MFIP assistance for at least 25 months, as sampled on December 
 31 of the previous calendar year, excluding cases where all 
 caregivers are age 60 or over. 

    Subd. 4.    Use of funds.  (a) A county or tribal 
 program may use funds allocated under this subdivision to 
 provide services to MFIP participants who are hard-to-employ and 
 their families.  Services provided must be intended to reduce 
 the number of MFIP participants who are expected to reach the 
 60-month time limit under section 256J.42.  Counties, tribes, 
 and other entities receiving funds under subdivision 2 or 3 must 
 submit semiannual progress reports to the commissioner which 
 detail program outcomes. 

    (b) Funds allocated under this section may not be used to 
 provide benefits that are defined as "assistance" in Code of 
 Federal Regulations, title 45, section 260.31, to an assistance 
 unit that is only receiving the food portion of MFIP benefits or 
 under section 256J.42 is no longer eligible to receive MFIP. 

    (c) A county may use funds allocated under this section for 
 that part of the match for federal access to jobs transportation 
 funds that is TANF-eligible.  A county may also use funds 
 allocated under this section to enhance transportation choices 
 for eligible recipients up to 150 percent of the federal poverty 
 guidelines. 

    Subd. 5.    Sunset.  The grant program under this 
 section sunsets on June 30, 2003. 

    HIST: 2000 c 488 art 10 s 22; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 10 s 50-52