Bill > HF3059

This bill modifies several aspects of Minnesota's child care assistance program to improve accessibility and support for families. It expands the income eligibility range for child care assistance, reducing parent fees for families at various income levels by lowering the percentage of income they must pay. The bill mandates that certain families, including those experiencing homelessness, families with children with disabilities, families in Head Start, and children in foster or kinship care, will not be assessed parent fees. Additionally, the bill allows counties to pay child care providers the maximum assistance rate, even if it exceeds the provider's standard rate, and requires the commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families to develop strategies to simplify the application process, improve payment practices, and create a grant program to provide direct child care services for underserved families, such as those with infants, toddlers, or children with disabilities. The bill also directs the commissioner to evaluate eligibility criteria across economic assistance programs to potentially streamline access to child care assistance and requires reports on the implementation of these changes by late 2025 and early 2026.

Education

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF3059&ssn=0&y=2025