Bill > HF2967

This bill modifies reporting requirements and funding for child welfare services in Minnesota, with a specific focus on addressing disparities affecting African American children. The bill requires the Commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families to conduct annual reviews of child welfare cases involving African American and disproportionately represented children, tracking detailed metrics such as maltreatment reports, family services, foster care placements, and permanency outcomes. Social services agencies must now provide information to the commissioner and develop remediation plans for addressing identified disparities. The African American Child Well-Being Advisory Council is mandated to submit multiple reports, including an assessment of county capacity to implement child protection sections and a comprehensive review of implementation efforts. The bill also appropriates significant funding, including allocations for additional child protection workers, improvements to social services information technology systems (a $40 million onetime appropriation), and grants under the Family First Prevention Services Act to prevent out-of-home placements. These provisions aim to improve child welfare outcomes, reduce systemic inequities, and provide more targeted support for African American children and families in the child welfare system.

Education

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF2967&ssn=0&y=2025