by Matthew Dooley

CACW at the Capitol - Child Welfare Policy UpdateThe legislative session is approaching its May 20 deadline to adjourn. Check out the Bill Tracker for timely updates on these and related issues. While this is not an exhaustive list and issues often overlap, the tracker offers a helpful at-a-glance summary of specific issues related to child protection. We also encourage you to explore this handy glossary of legislative terms from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Additionally, if you don’t see a bill listed that you think should be, please send the bill and any additional information to Matthew Dooley, Outreach Graduate Assistant, at dool0068@umn.edu.

Legislative Schedule: The deadline for committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills was April 19. The legislature was in recess on Monday, April 22, and Tuesday, April 23, for Passover. The legislature will recommence on Wednesday, April 24, at noon and adjourn on May 20.

Legislative Updates

As a reminder, many organizations release annual legislative agendas based on particular advocacy work. For example, check out National Association of Social Workers-MN (NASW),  Institute to Transform Child Protection, Foster Advocates, Safe Passages, AspireMN, and MSSA. 

Bills

Children and Families Supplemental Budget Approved

The House Children and Families Finance Committee approved its supplemental budget bill on April 18, sending the bill to the Ways and Means Committee. The bill appropriates $9 million dollars to begin revamping the Social Services Information System, $34.37 million dollars to fund early childhood education, and reduces the licensing burdens for child welfare and child care programs. The bill also includes approximately $10 million dollars for the state to match federal funds for the summer EBT program to address food insecurity, and $760,000 for grants to support kinship care efforts. 

The supplemental budget bill also incorporates some or all elements of the following bills which CACSW has reported on previously: 

  • HF3781 (Hicks) Requires a review of child maltreatment reporting
  • HF3826 (Keeler) Appropriates funding for child care staff training
  • HF3856 (Hanson) Updates requirements for counties to notify foster youth of SSI benefits
  • HF4697 (Pinto) Modifies requirements for child mortality review panel
  • HF4950 (Keeler) Commissions a study on pregnant and parenting homeless youth

Bill Seeks to Protect Parents with Disabilities  

HF5049, authored by Representative Hicks, prevents courts from considering parental disabilities when making decisions on adoption, child protection orders, or parenting time, with exceptions for cases when parental disabilities endangers the health or safety of a child and supportive services cannot resolve the issue. The Children and Families Finance Committee re-referred the bill to the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee on April 18. Read more

In the News

African-American Family Preservation Act
Minnesota Public Radio reported on HF912, also known as the Layla Jackson Act. The bill requires social service agencies to make active efforts to prevent out-of-home placement and promote family reunification. The bill has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee in the final step before a possible vote on the House and Senate floor before the legislative session ends on May 20. 

Racial Disparities in Child Welfare
The Star Tribune reported on efforts to address the continuing racial disparities in Minnesota’s child welfare system, including the Minneapolis NAACP’s recent civil rights complaint against the state. 

Childcare Funding, Survey Results
MPR reported on the DFL’s decision to scale back its initial plan to spend $500 million dollars on child care, and the cautiously optimistic views of child care providers reflected in a survey from March.