| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
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| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 relating to child protection; modifying reports for the African American Child |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 Well-Being Advisory Council; requiring reports; appropriating money for child |
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| 4 | 4 | | 1.4 protection workers, child welfare technology improvements, and Family First |
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| 5 | 5 | | 1.5 Prevention Services Act grants; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 260.68, subdivision 2; 260.691, subdivision 2. |
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| 7 | 7 | | 1.7BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
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| 8 | 8 | | 1.8 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 260.68, subdivision 2, is amended to read: |
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| 9 | 9 | | 1.9 Subd. 2.Case review.(a) Each responsible social services agency The commissioner |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1.10of children, youth, and families shall conduct a review of all child welfare cases for African |
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| 11 | 11 | | 1.11American and other disproportionately represented children handled by the agency social |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1.12services agencies. Social services agencies must provide the commissioner with any |
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| 13 | 13 | | 1.13information requested for the purposes of this subdivision. Each responsible social services |
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| 14 | 14 | | 1.14agency The commissioner shall create a summary report of trends identified under paragraphs |
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| 15 | 15 | | 1.15(b) and (c), a remediation plan as provided in summary of remediation plans with social |
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| 16 | 16 | | 1.16services agencies under paragraph (d), and an update on implementation of any previous |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1.17remediation plans. The first report shall must be provided to the African American Child |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1.18Well-Being Advisory Council, the commissioner social services agencies, and the chairs |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1.19and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over child |
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| 20 | 20 | | 1.20welfare by October 1, 2029 2031, and annually thereafter. For purposes of determining |
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| 21 | 21 | | 1.21outcomes in this subdivision, responsible social services agencies shall use guidance from |
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| 22 | 22 | | 1.22the commissioner. The commissioner shall provide guidance starting on November 1, 2028, |
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| 23 | 23 | | 1.23and annually thereafter. |
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| 24 | 24 | | 1.24 (b) The case review must include: |
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| 25 | 25 | | 1Section 1. |
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| 26 | 26 | | REVISOR DTT/AC 25-0489803/20/25 |
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| 27 | 27 | | State of Minnesota |
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| 28 | 28 | | This Document can be made available |
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| 29 | 29 | | in alternative formats upon request |
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| 30 | 30 | | HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 31 | 31 | | H. F. No. 2967 |
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| 32 | 32 | | NINETY-FOURTH SESSION |
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| 33 | 33 | | Authored by Agbaje04/01/2025 |
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| 34 | 34 | | The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Children and Families Finance and Policy 2.1 (1) the number of African American and disproportionately represented children |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2.2represented in the county child welfare system; |
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| 36 | 36 | | 2.3 (2) the number and sources of maltreatment reports received and reports screened in for |
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| 37 | 37 | | 2.4investigation or referred for family assessment and the race of the children and parents or |
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| 38 | 38 | | 2.5custodians involved in each report; |
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| 39 | 39 | | 2.6 (3) the number and race of children and parents or custodians who receive in-home |
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| 40 | 40 | | 2.7preventive case management services; |
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| 41 | 41 | | 2.8 (4) the number and race of children whose parents or custodians are referred to |
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| 42 | 42 | | 2.9community-based, culturally appropriate, strength-based, or trauma-informed services; |
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| 43 | 43 | | 2.10 (5) the number and race of children removed from their homes; |
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| 44 | 44 | | 2.11 (6) the number and race of children reunified with their parents or custodians; |
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| 45 | 45 | | 2.12 (7) the number and race of children whose parents or custodians are offered family group |
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| 46 | 46 | | 2.13decision-making services; |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2.14 (8) the number and race of children whose parents or custodians are offered the parent |
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| 48 | 48 | | 2.15support outreach program; |
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| 49 | 49 | | 2.16 (9) the number and race of children in foster care or out-of-home placement at the time |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2.17that the data is gathered; |
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| 51 | 51 | | 2.18 (10) the number and race of children who achieve permanency through a transfer of |
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| 52 | 52 | | 2.19permanent legal and physical custody to a relative or an adoption; and |
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| 53 | 53 | | 2.20 (11) the number and race of children who are under the guardianship of the commissioner |
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| 54 | 54 | | 2.21or awaiting a permanency disposition. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 2.22 (c) The required case review must also: |
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| 56 | 56 | | 2.23 (1) identify barriers to reunifying children with their families; |
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| 57 | 57 | | 2.24 (2) identify the family conditions that led to the out-of-home placement; |
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| 58 | 58 | | 2.25 (3) identify any barriers to accessing culturally informed mental health or substance use |
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| 59 | 59 | | 2.26disorder treatment services for the parents or children; |
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| 60 | 60 | | 2.27 (4) document efforts to identify fathers and maternal and paternal relatives and to provide |
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| 61 | 61 | | 2.28services to custodial and noncustodial fathers, if appropriate; and |
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| 62 | 62 | | 2.29 (5) document and summarize court reviews of active efforts. |
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| 63 | 63 | | 2Section 1. |
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| 64 | 64 | | REVISOR DTT/AC 25-0489803/20/25 3.1 (d) Any responsible For every social services agency that has a the commissioner |
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| 65 | 65 | | 3.2identifies in a case review as showing disproportionality and disparities in child welfare |
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| 66 | 66 | | 3.3outcomes for African American and other disproportionately represented children and the |
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| 67 | 67 | | 3.4children's families, compared to the agency's overall outcomes, the commissioner must |
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| 68 | 68 | | 3.5include in their case review summary report develop a remediation plan with the agency |
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| 69 | 69 | | 3.6with measurable outcomes to identify, address, and reduce the factors that led to the |
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| 70 | 70 | | 3.7disproportionality and disparities in the agency's child welfare outcomes. The remediation |
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| 71 | 71 | | 3.8plan shall also include information about how the responsible social services agency will |
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| 72 | 72 | | 3.9achieve and document trauma-informed, positive child well-being outcomes through |
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| 73 | 73 | | 3.10remediation efforts. |
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| 74 | 74 | | 3.11 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 260.691, subdivision 2, is amended to read: |
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| 75 | 75 | | 3.12 Subd. 2.Annual report Reports.(a) By January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the |
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| 76 | 76 | | 3.13council shall report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees |
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| 77 | 77 | | 3.14with jurisdiction over child protection on the council's activities under subdivision 1 and |
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| 78 | 78 | | 3.15other issues on which the council chooses to report. The report may include recommendations |
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| 79 | 79 | | 3.16for statutory changes to improve the child protection system and child welfare outcomes |
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| 80 | 80 | | 3.17for African American children and families. |
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| 81 | 81 | | 3.18 (b) By November 1, 2026, the council shall report to the chairs and ranking minority |
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| 82 | 82 | | 3.19members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over child protection on the capacity |
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| 83 | 83 | | 3.20for counties to implement sections 260.61 to 260.69 and the number of additional workers, |
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| 84 | 84 | | 3.21if any, each county would need to be able to implement sections 260.61 to 260.69. This |
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| 85 | 85 | | 3.22paragraph expires January 1, 2027. |
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| 86 | 86 | | 3.23 (c) By November 1, 2030, the council shall compile and review the reports issued under |
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| 87 | 87 | | 3.24paragraph (a) to assess the state of implementation of sections 260.61 to 260.69 and present |
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| 88 | 88 | | 3.25the compiled report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees |
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| 89 | 89 | | 3.26with jurisdiction over child protection. This paragraph expires January 1, 2031. |
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| 90 | 90 | | 3.27 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION; CHILD PROTECTION ALLOCATIONS. |
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| 91 | 91 | | 3.28 (a) $....... in fiscal year 2026 and $....... in fiscal year 2027 are appropriated from the |
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| 92 | 92 | | 3.29general fund to the commissioner of children, youth, and families for child protection |
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| 93 | 93 | | 3.30activities. |
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| 94 | 94 | | 3.31 (b) Of the amounts in paragraph (a), $....... in fiscal year 2026 and $....... in fiscal year |
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| 95 | 95 | | 3.322027 must be distributed to counties for additional child protection workers to implement |
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| 96 | 96 | | 3.33the requirements of Minnesota Statutes, sections 260.61 to 260.693. Amounts distributed |
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| 97 | 97 | | 3Sec. 3. |
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| 98 | 98 | | REVISOR DTT/AC 25-0489803/20/25 4.1to counties under this paragraph must be calculated using a formula based on local impact |
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| 99 | 99 | | 4.2notes, and no county may receive more than $....... in fiscal year 2026 and $....... in fiscal |
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| 100 | 100 | | 4.3year 2027. |
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| 101 | 101 | | 4.4 Sec. 4. APPROPRIATION; DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND |
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| 102 | 102 | | 4.5FAMILIES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENTS. |
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| 103 | 103 | | 4.6 $40,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner |
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| 104 | 104 | | 4.7of children, youth, and families for improvements to the social services information system. |
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| 105 | 105 | | 4.8This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027. |
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| 106 | 106 | | 4.9 Sec. 5. APPROPRIATION; FAMILY FIRST PREVENTION SERVICES ACT |
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| 107 | 107 | | 4.10GRANTS. |
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| 108 | 108 | | 4.11 $....... in fiscal year 2026 and $....... in fiscal year 2027 are from the general fund to the |
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| 109 | 109 | | 4.12commissioner of children, youth, and families for the purposes of Minnesota Statutes, section |
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| 110 | 110 | | 4.13142A.45. Of these amounts, $....... in fiscal year 2026 and $....... in fiscal year 2027 are to |
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| 111 | 111 | | 4.14prevent out-of-home placements. |
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| 112 | 112 | | 4Sec. 5. |
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| 113 | 113 | | REVISOR DTT/AC 25-0489803/20/25 |
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