Compiled by Stacy Gehringer, MSW, LICSW (she/her), Director of Outreach and Mariel Carlson (she/her/hers), Graduate Assistant

Last week’s big news was the release of the redrawn legislative districts map that will direct the state’s elections for the next decade. Because some currently seated Legislators are now in the same district based on the new maps, there may be shifts in who will be running for each seat. The 2023 legislature is sure to look different!

We are in week four of the legislative session and excited to highlight a few items of interest to child welfare workers. Please follow CASCW’s curated bill tracking account on the Minnesota State Legislature website to keep tabs on what’s happening specifically related to child welfare. You can also watch the House and Senate hearings (all streamed virtually).

Bills of Interest

Minnesota African-American Family Preservation Act (AAFPA), SF 843 and HF 1151 (Rep. Agbaje and Sen. Champlin)
This bill establishes processes for key decision points in Child Protection that are relevant to African American families in Minnesota. This would require agencies to provide active efforts to preserve African American families: preventing out-of-home placements by using in-home safety plans and asking agencies to provide clear evidence of harm to a child’s safety if petitioning for removal. Active efforts to locate relatives of an African American child, if removed from the home, are required as well. Termination of parental rights would be heavily restricted, especially for termination of rights due to not completing case plan requirements. Experts in disproportionality faced by African American families would be appointed, in addition to requiring competency training for child welfare workers and creation of an African American Child Welfare Oversight Council.

02/21/22 Press Conference

This bill was introduced in the Senate on 02/11/21 and in the House on 02/15/21. HF1151 was referred to the Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. On 02/14/22, Rep. Keeler was added as an author.

Child permanency and relative placements, HF 3159 (Rep.Hollins)
This bill amends Minnesota’s statutory preference for TPR to indicate a continuum of permanency options that prioritize options with relatives when it is in the best interests of the child. Currently, the statute specifies that adoption or consent to adoption are the preferred permanency options. The bill removes that preference language and specifies that preference should be given to a permanency option that results in the child being placed with a relative through adoption or a transfer of permanent legal and physical custody, consistent with the best interests of the child.

Community Organizations listed in support of HF 3159 include Ampersand Families, Family Alternatives, Foster Advocates, Community Board Minnesota One-Stop for Communities, Minnesota Social Service Association (MSSA), National Association of Social Work, Minnesota Chapter (NASW-MN), and Safe Passage for Children of Minnesota.

The bill was introduced 2/7/22 and referred to Human Services Finance and Policy. The bill had a hearing in the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee on Tuesday, February 22.

DHS Waiver Extensions, HF 2914 (Rep. Schultz)
This bill would reinstate and extend DHS’ program waivers in several areas allowing a variety of telecommunication and supervision measures for human services providers including virtual foster care visits.The bill (companion SF2876) had a hearing in the House Health Finance and Policy Committee this Wednesday.

The bill was introduced in the House on 01/31/22; after it was adopted as amended on 02/15/22, it was re-referred to the Ways and Means Committee. SF2876 was introduced on 02/03/22 and passed on its third reading on 02/21/22 by a vote of 46-21. This was then sent to the House for comparison in the Ways and Means Committee. 

Establish an Office of Appellate Counsel for Parents, HF 3135 (Rep. Becker-Finn)
This bill would create an Office of Appellate Counsel for Parents and would make available well-trained and qualified attorneys to handle these important appeals,.

This bill was introduced on 02/03/22 and referred to the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee.

Pregnant and parenting homeless youth study establishment and appropriation; homeless youth act grants appropriation, SF 3263 (Sen. Dibble)
This bill would appropriate funding and study pregnant and parenting homeless youth, as well as grant funds for the Homeless Youth Act.

This bill was introduced on 02/17/22 and referred to the Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee.

Juvenile court guardianship established for at-risk youth, HF 2671 (Rep. Feist)
This bill creates a procedure for guardianship in the juvenile court for youth. It would require a guardian to be appointed to youth ages 18 to 21 to reduce the risk of trafficking or abuse.

This bill was introduced on 01/31/22 and referred to the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee. A hearing will be held regarding the bill on Thursday 02/24 at 8:30am.

Important Timelines to keep in mind 

  • Friday, March 25 – Committees must act favorably on bills in the house of origin
  • Friday, April 1 – Committees must act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other body
  • Friday, April 8 – Committees must act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills
  • April 9-18 – Legislative Break
  • Monday, May 23 – Last day of session

Upcoming Events 

Stay tuned for more legislative updates as we gather information and track what’s happening at the Capitol.