1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to children; modifying Northstar Care for Children benefits for children
1.3 under the age of six and children transferred into Northstar Care for Children;
1.4 amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 142A.609, subdivision 5; 142A.611,
1.5 subdivisions 2, 4.
1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.7 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 142A.609, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
1.8 Subd. 5.Alternate rates for preschool entry and certain transitioned children.(a)
1.9A child who entered or enters the Northstar kinship assistance or adoption assistance
1.10components of Northstar Care for Children while under the age of six shall must receive
1.1150 percent of the amount the child would otherwise be entitled to under subdivisions 3 and
1.124.
1.13 (b) The commissioner may also use the 50 percent rate for a child who was transitioned
1.14into those components through declaration of the commissioner under section 256N.28
1.15142A.612, subdivision 7.
1.16 (c) A child who is in the care of a relative or placed within the placement preferences
1.17under section 260.773, and who enters the Northstar kinship assistance or adoption assistance
1.18components of Northstar Care for Children while under the age of six must receive the full
1.19amount under subdivisions 3 and 4.
1.20 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 142A.611, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.21 Subd. 2.State share.The commissioner shall must pay the state share of the maintenance
1.22payments as determined under subdivision 4, and an identical share of the pre-Northstar
1Sec. 2.
REVISOR DTT/ES 25-0310002/05/25
State of Minnesota
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 1276
NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
Authored by Hicks and Kotyza-Witthuhn02/20/2025
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Children and Families Finance and Policy 2.1Care foster care program under section 260C.4411, subdivision 1, the relative custody
2.2assistance program under section 142A.65, and the pre-Northstar Care for Children adoption
2.3assistance program under chapter 259A. The state share must include the cost of eliminating
2.4the alternate rates for preschool entry into kinship assistance or adoption assistance under
2.5section 142A.609, subdivision 5, paragraph (c).
2.6 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 142A.611, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
2.7 Subd. 4.Nonfederal share.(a) The commissioner shall must establish a percentage
2.8share of the maintenance payments, reduced by federal reimbursements under title IV-E of
2.9the Social Security Act, to be paid by the state and to be paid by the financially responsible
2.10agency.
2.11 (b) These state and local shares must initially be calculated based on the ratio of the
2.12average appropriate expenditures made by the state and all financially responsible agencies
2.13during calendar years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. For purposes of this calculation,
2.14appropriate expenditures for the financially responsible agencies must include basic and
2.15difficulty of care payments for foster care reduced by federal reimbursements, but not
2.16including any initial clothing allowance, administrative payments to child care agencies
2.17specified in section 317A.907, child care, or other support or ancillary expenditures. For
2.18purposes of this calculation, appropriate expenditures for the state shall must include adoption
2.19assistance and relative custody assistance, reduced by federal reimbursements.
2.20 (c) For each of the periods January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, and fiscal years 2017,
2.212018, and 2019, the commissioner shall must adjust this initial percentage of state and local
2.22shares to reflect the relative expenditure trends during calendar years 2011, 2012, 2013,
2.23and 2014, taking into account appropriations for Northstar Care for Children, the cost of
2.24eliminating the alternate rates for preschool entry into kinship assistance or adoption
2.25assistance under section 142A.609, subdivision 5, paragraph (c), and the turnover rates of
2.26the components. In making these adjustments, the commissioner's goal shall must be to
2.27make these state and local expenditures other than the appropriations for Northstar Care for
2.28Children to be the same as they would have been had Northstar Care for Children not been
2.29implemented, or if that is not possible, proportionally higher or lower, as appropriate. Except
2.30for adjustments so that the costs of the phase-in and the cost of eliminating the alternate
2.31rates for preschool entry into kinship assistance or adoption assistance under section
2.32142A.609, subdivision 5, paragraph (c), are borne by the state, the state and local share
2.33percentages for fiscal year 2019 must be used for all subsequent years.
2Sec. 3.
REVISOR DTT/ES 25-0310002/05/25