by Matthew Dooley
The legislative session is approaching its May 20 deadline to adjourn. Conference committees will work to agree on combining matching Senate and House Bills into identical language to forward to the Governor to sign into the law. However, because the legislature is only allowed to meet in full session for 120 total days, only 8 days remain for the House and Senate to meet to pass legislation.
View the schedule for upcoming conference committee meetings.
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 helpful glossary of legislative terms from the National Conference of State Legislatures. Additionally, if you don’t see an issue listed that you think should be, please contact Matthew Dooley, Outreach Graduate Assistant, at dool0068@umn.edu.
Bills
Children and Families Finance and Policy omnibus bill passed by House
HF2476 was passed by the House on May 1 and now awaits a Senate vote. The bill contains multiple provisions related to child welfare issues, including:
- The establishment of a Department of Human Services systemic critical incident review team to review child fatalities and near fatalities, and to “identify systemic influences to the incident rather than determine the culpability of any actors involved in the incident.”
- A requirement that county agencies document and inform foster youth when the county receives SSI benefits on the child’s behalf, and use those funds solely for the care of the child.
- A requirement that the Commissioner of the Department of Children, Youth and Families, conduct a review of child maltreatment reporting processes in other states, and make recommendations on the benefits, costs, and challenges of implementing a common, statewide entry point system for reporting in Minnesota.
- The commissioning of a fiscal audit of the state’s child welfare system by a third party, to be submitted to the commissioner of human services and legislators by June 30, 2026. This policy was previously contained in SF4001/HF4192.
- An amendment specifying that parental or guardian/custodian disability may not be the sole rationale for determining a child is without proper parental care.
- $9 million dollars to begin modernizing the Social Services Information System, a significant reduction from Governor Walz’s previously proposed $15 million.
- $800,000 to support the establishment of a Supreme Court Council of Child Protection charged with developing recommendations to improve child protection, including prevention and early intervention.
- $760,000 for grants to prevent nonrelative foster care placements.
- Grants for studies on pregnant and parenting homeless youth and a needs analysis on transgender persons experiencing homelessness.
Read the Session Daily summary of the bill’s passage.
African-American Family Preservation Act Passed by Senate
SF716, also known as the African-American Family Preservation Act, was included in the Senate HHS Omnibus Bill (SF4699) that the Senate passed on May 3.
Human Services Supplemental Budget Bill Advances
The House passed HF5280/SF5335, which was also passed by the Senate on April 30. The bill is expected to be reviewed by a conference committee to reconcile differences between the two versions before being sent to the Governor. Among the many items of note is a half-million dollar appropriation to fund Hennepin County youth recovery services, as well as a three percent increase to reimbursement rates for substance use disorder providers.
Bill Addressing Educational Neglect Faces Uncertain Future
SF4747 seeks to address chronic absenteeism among Minnesotan children by creating an “alternative discretionary response” permitting agencies to offer services to address truancy concerns. The bill received recent support from a recent MSU-Mankato Policy Brief from its School of Social Work. Its sole chance of passage now lies in its potential inclusion in an omnibus bill before the end of session.
In the News
Tikki Brown Appointed Head of new Department of Children, Youth and Families
Brown will begin her work as Commissioner when the DCYF commences operations on July 1. Read more in the Star Tribune and the Minnesota Reformer.
Recent Reporting by Essence on the African-American Family Preservation Act
Reina Rayford reports on the bill’s origins in the tragic case of Layla Jackson’s death, and the bill’s legislative context.
The Star Tribune sounds the alarm on cuts to mental health reimbursement rates
The newspaper’s Op-Ed Board warns that failure to act on January’s Department of Human Services report could have far-reaching consequences for Minnesotans.
The Imprint covers bill aimed at educational neglect
Alex Perez explains the efforts of legislators to provide alternative responses to chronic truancy.
Resources
Minnesota State-Mankato publishes MSW student policy briefs on a range of issues including child welfare. One recent brief of note, “Rethinking Educational Neglect: Supporting and Investing in Families to Thrive”, advocates for the passage of SF474 which allows for local child welfare agencies to provide “discretionary child welfare responses” to allegations of educational neglect. Learn more.
The Mental Health Legislative Network, a group of provider and advocacy organizations, has released a list of 2024 Legislative Issues. Divided into chapters on System Issues, Adult Mental Health Services and Supports, Children’s Mental Health, Access to Mental Health, and Criminal Justice, this is an invaluable resource for legislators, advocates, and any Minnesotan interested in understanding legislation related to mental health.
Governor Walz’s 2024 Legislative Session Fact Sheet addresses issues such as modernizing the Social Security Information System, addressing the opioid epidemic’s impact on child welfare, and modernizing the state’s Social Services Information System.
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