Bill > HF261

This bill appropriates $500,000 (specifically $250,000 in each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027) from the general fund to the commissioner of employment and economic development to provide a grant to Abijah's on the Backside for equine-experiential mental health therapy targeting first responders suffering from job-related trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. The bill defines "first responders" comprehensively to include active or retired peace officers, full-time and volunteer firefighters, ambulance service personnel, 911 telecommunicators, and correctional officers. The organization receiving the grant is required to submit two detailed reports (by January 15, 2026, and January 15, 2028) to the commissioner and legislative committee chairs, which must include information about the program's budget, expenditures, number of first responders served, services provided, and benefits received. This is designated as a onetime appropriation, suggesting it is a temporary, specific intervention to support mental health services for first responders through innovative equine-based therapy.

Labor and Employment

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF0261&ssn=0&y=2025