Now that the Minnesota legislative session has officially ended, here is a summary of some of the child-welfare related bills that have been signed by Governor Dayton since mid-April that we have not yet covered. The policies are separated into three categories: harm reduction, financial stability, and juvenile justice. Bills Related to Harm Reduction Along [...]
Rep. Rena Moran. Source: David Joles/Star Tribune Across the country state lawmakers are debating passing or strengthening existing legislation that would require random drug testing of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families—"welfare") recipients. Minnesota is one of the few states where legislators are trying to modify an existing drug testing policy for recipients with prior felony [...]
As promised from yesterday, I am continuing my "brief bill descriptions" post regarding child welfare-related bills introduced during the interim of Minnesota's 88th legislative session. Early Learning H.F. 1880: Introduced by Rep. Ryan Winkler and others, this bill would ensure that each eligible child receives an early learning scholarship. Beginning in FY2015, funding for this [...]
Yesterday Governor Dayton signed the omnibus Health & Human Services (HHS) Finance bill, making it Chapter 108 in the 2013 Session Laws. The main point of this bill was to establish the HHS budget, but there are also policy changes that will impact child welfare. One big change from earlier versions of the bill is [...]
The Health & Human Services Omnibus bill (H.F. 1233) in the Minnesota legislature has been slowly moving forward. Because the Senate and House did not agree on the bill text of H.F. 1233, there is a conference committee for the bill. This morning the HHS Conference Committee met from 8 AM to 10 AM and [...]
H.F. 2080 (S.F. 1883) is an MFIP ineligibility and sanctions bill that made the legislative committee rounds during February. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Kurt Daudt (R-17A) and has 12 cosponsors. As of today, 2080 is waiting to be heard in the House Health and Human Service Finance Committee, but that hearing has not [...]
There are a few hearings this week in both the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives that are of interest to those in the child welfare field. You can attend in person, or check to see if you can watch them live via the Senate Media Services. Senate Committee on Health & Human Services, Room [...]
The Minnesota Family Investment Program is often viewed as a program for parents. But how does it impact the children in families receiving this assistance? Like the juvenile court reforms discussed at the CEED Round Table last month, the Minnesota Family Investment Program may benefit from a change in perspective. That is, what does the [...]
