Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota Senate Bill SF777 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 relating to higher education; establishing loan forgiveness and grants for home
3	3	1.3 care worker education; requiring reports; transferring money; appropriating money;
4	4	1.4 proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 136A.
5	5	1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
6	6	1.6 Section 1. [136A.1277] HOME CARE WORKER GRANTS.
7	7	1.7 Subdivision 1.Establishment.The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education
8	8	1.8must establish a grant program for students working as home care workers.
9	9	1.9 Subd. 2.Eligibility.(a) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a student must:
10	10	1.10 (1) be enrolled at an eligible institution in a two- or four-year postsecondary program
11	11	1.11that leads to a degree;
12	12	1.12 (2) agree to work as a home care worker no less than an average of ten hours per week
13	13	1.13during the academic period for which the grant is awarded; and
14	14	1.14 (3) have made satisfactory academic progress as defined under section 136A.101,
15	15	1.15subdivision 10.
16	16	1.16 (b) For purposes of this section, "home care worker" means an individual who provides
17	17	1.17to older adults or persons with disabilities in-home, nonprofessional long-term services and
18	18	1.18supports that are funded in whole or in part by medical assistance, including by the home
19	19	1.19and community-based waivers, alternative care, the essential community supports program,
20	20	1.20or community support grants.
21	21	1Section 1.
22	22	25-01483 as introduced01/21/25 REVISOR VH/AC
23	23	SENATE
24	24	STATE OF MINNESOTA
25	25	S.F. No. 777NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
26	26	(SENATE AUTHORS: HOFFMAN)
27	27	OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE
28	28	Introduction and first reading01/30/2025
29	29	Referred to Higher Education 2.1 Subd. 3.Administration.(a) The commissioner must establish an application process
30	30	2.2and other guidelines for implementing the program. The commissioner must notify grant
31	31	2.3recipients of their award amounts by the following dates:
32	32	2.4 (1) for fall academic periods, recipients must be notified by October 15;
33	33	2.5 (2) for spring academic periods, recipients must be notified by February 1; and
34	34	2.6 (3) for summer academic periods, recipients must be notified by July 1.
35	35	2.7These notification deadlines do not apply in cases where grants are awarded to home care
36	36	2.8workers who applied after application deadlines and grant money was available after the
37	37	2.9initial round of grants were awarded.
38	38	2.10 (b) Each academic year, the commissioner must determine each grant amount up to
39	39	2.11$5,000 based on available funding and the number of eligible applicants.
40	40	2.12 (c) The commissioner must give equal consideration to all eligible applicants received
41	41	2.13before the application deadline regardless of the order in which the application was received.
42	42	2.14 (d) If there is insufficient grant money to provide a grant to all eligible applicants, the
43	43	2.15commissioner shall prioritize the grants to eligible applicants based on the statewide
44	44	2.16distribution of grant money.
45	45	2.17 Subd. 4.Reporting.By February 15 of each year, the commissioner must submit a
46	46	2.18report on the details of the program under this section to the legislative committees with
47	47	2.19jurisdiction over higher education and human services finance and policy. The report must
48	48	2.20include the following information:
49	49	2.21 (1) the number of eligible applicants and the number of home care workers receiving a
50	50	2.22grant, each broken down by postsecondary institution;
51	51	2.23 (2) the total number of grants, the total dollar amount of all grants, and the average grant
52	52	2.24amount; and
53	53	2.25 (3) other summary data identified by the commissioner as outcome indicators.
54	54	2.26 Sec. 2. [136A.1786] HOME CARE WORKER LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM.
55	55	2.27 Subdivision 1.Definitions.(a) For purposes of this section, the terms in this subdivision
56	56	2.28have the meanings given.
57	57	2.29 (b) "Home care worker" means an individual who provides to older adults or persons
58	58	2.30with disabilities in-home, nonprofessional long-term services and supports that are funded
59	59	2.31in whole or in part by medical assistance, including by the home and community-based
60	60	2Sec. 2.
61	61	25-01483 as introduced01/21/25 REVISOR VH/AC 3.1waivers, alternative care, the essential community supports program, or community support
62	62	3.2grants.
63	63	3.3 (c) "Qualified education loan" means a government, commercial, or foundation loan
64	64	3.4used by an individual for actual costs paid for tuition and reasonable educational and living
65	65	3.5expenses related to the postsecondary education of the home care worker.
66	66	3.6 Subd. 2.Creation of account.(a) A home care worker loan forgiveness program account
67	67	3.7is established in the special revenue fund to provide home care workers with financial
68	68	3.8assistance in repaying qualified education loans. The commissioner must use money from
69	69	3.9the account to establish and administer the home care worker loan forgiveness program.
70	70	3.10 (b) Money in the home care worker loan forgiveness program account is appropriated
71	71	3.11to the commissioner for purposes of this section, does not cancel, and is available until
72	72	3.12expended.
73	73	3.13 Subd. 3.Eligibility.To be eligible to participate in the home care worker loan forgiveness
74	74	3.14program, an individual must:
75	75	3.15 (1) have been employed as a home care worker at least an average of three hours per
76	76	3.16week for ... prior to application;
77	77	3.17 (2) have qualified education loans;
78	78	3.18 (3) reside in Minnesota; and
79	79	3.19 (4) submit an application to the commissioner in the form and manner prescribed by the
80	80	3.20commissioner.
81	81	3.21 Subd. 4.Loan forgiveness.(a) The commissioner may select eligible applicants each
82	82	3.22year for participation in the home care worker loan forgiveness program, within the limits
83	83	3.23of available funding. Applicants are responsible for securing their own qualified education
84	84	3.24loans.
85	85	3.25 (b) For each year that the participant meets the eligibility requirements under subdivision
86	86	3.263, the commissioner must make annual disbursements directly to a home care worker equal
87	87	3.27to the least of (1) $....... times the average weekly number of hours worked in the preceding
88	88	3.28year as a home care worker, (2) $......., or (3) the balance of the participant's qualified
89	89	3.29education loans. An individual may receive disbursements under this section for a maximum
90	90	3.30of five years.
91	91	3.31 (c) The participant must provide the commissioner with verification that the full amount
92	92	3.32of the loan repayment disbursement received by the participant has been applied toward a
93	93	3Sec. 2.
94	94	25-01483 as introduced01/21/25 REVISOR VH/AC 4.1qualified education loan. After each disbursement, verification must be received by the
95	95	4.2commissioner and approved before the next repayment disbursement is made.
96	96	4.3 (d) If the participant receives a disbursement in the participant's fifth year of eligibility
97	97	4.4or ceases to qualify for additional disbursements, the participant must provide the
98	98	4.5commissioner with verification that the full amount of the participant's final loan repayment
99	99	4.6disbursement was applied toward a qualified education loan. If a participant does not provide
100	100	4.7the verification as required under this paragraph within 12 months of receipt of the final
101	101	4.8disbursement, the commissioner must collect from the participant the amount paid in the
102	102	4.9last disbursement to the participant under the home care worker loan forgiveness program
103	103	4.10plus interest at a rate established according to section 270C.40. The commissioner must
104	104	4.11deposit the money collected in the home care worker loan forgiveness program account.
105	105	4.12 Sec. 3. APPROPRIATIONS; HOME CARE WORKER GRANTS.
106	106	4.13 $....... in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
107	107	4.14the Office of Higher Education for home care worker grants under Minnesota Statutes,
108	108	4.15section 136A.1277. The commissioner may use up to five percent of this appropriation to
109	109	4.16administer the program. $....... is added to the base for fiscal year 2027 and later.
110	110	4.17 Sec. 4. TRANSFER; HOME CARE WORKER LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM.
111	111	4.18 $....... in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
112	112	4.19the Office of Higher Education for transfer to the home care worker loan forgiveness program
113	113	4.20account established in Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.1786, subdivision 2. The
114	114	4.21commissioner of the Office of Higher Education may use up to five percent of the amount
115	115	4.22transferred in this section to administer the home care worker loan forgiveness program.
116	116	4.23$....... is added to the base for fiscal year 2027 and later.
117	117	4Sec. 4.
118	118	25-01483 as introduced01/21/25 REVISOR VH/AC