MinnesotaHF 255194th Legislature, 2025-2026HouseWALLET

Follow-up to 2024 children, youth, and families recodification; technical changes made.

Sponsored By: Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (Democratic)

Became Law

Children and Families Finance and PolicyRules and Administration for comparison with SF2706

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

26 provisions identified: 17 benefits, 1 costs, 8 mixed.

One assistance lien on injury recoveries ends

The law repeals one section allowing state liens on injury recoveries to repay medical care, subsistence, or other public assistance. That section's claim-notice, lien-payment, and information-sharing duties also end. This repeal does not establish that all public-assistance recovery liens end.

Rent aid does not reduce food eligibility

Minnesota does not count rent assistance under section 462A.2095 as income, assets, or personal property for food support eligibility. This rule applies when households first qualify and when they renew eligibility. It can help households qualify or keep food benefits.

Courts check help preserving Indian families

Courts assessing efforts to preserve an Indian child's family must consider whether help was sought to reach extended family. This applies when relatives are hard to contact or engage. Relevant help includes the Tribe, the children and families department, Human Services, or other agencies experienced with Indian families.

Caregivers get clearer payment appeal notices

Initial assessment and reassessment notices must explain caregivers' right to a fair hearing and how to request one. When maintenance payments end, written notices must tell caregivers or youth that they can seek a fair hearing. Existing notice deadlines, eligibility rules, payment amounts, and termination rules remain unchanged.

Families get benefit and dental outreach

State agencies must work together to identify people eligible for program benefits. Human Services must provide a way to notify pregnant or lactating women, infants, and children receiving public assistance. The state also must run early dental-care outreach for communities of color and recent immigrants with infants and toddlers. These changes do not set new benefit amounts or expand eligibility.

Care workers can reuse background studies

One background study can cover direct-contact work in several programs owned or legally controlled by the same license holder. This includes programs licensed by the children and families department. The holder must name a contact and provide an address and phone number for sensitive study information. That contact must identify whether and where the worker serves. Separate child-foster-care rules and legal exclusions still apply.

Conviction reporting supports care program safety

Probation officers and corrections agents must report convictions that disqualify people from covered care programs. The person must have been connected to a covered program or facility within the past year. Covered programs are regulated by human services, children, youth, and families, or health agencies. The rule excludes family child care and legal nonlicensed child care individuals whose background checks used NETStudy 2.0.

Courts get more guardian safety records

Courts must receive available electronic licensing and discipline records directly related to a guardian's or conservator's duties. This applies when the person has a current or past connection to the children and families department. Covered court background studies must include public investigation records when that department found maltreatment in a licensed facility. The commissioner also can share maltreatment findings when courts decide guardian or conservator eligibility.

Youth facilities get reviews and care agreements

Corrections licenses and supervises publicly run facilities for delinquent children and youth, with reviews at least every two years. Facilities must meet reasonable standards or make satisfactory progress, and Corrections must find that children's well-being is protected. Corrections also can make agreements with state agencies and other listed partners for custody, care, treatment, training, or diagnostic services. Payments for those agreements are limited to funds the legislature makes available.

Child care gets pool and fire safeguards

Family and group family day care providers cannot allow home-pool use after qualifying supervision, health, or safety licensing actions. This includes qualifying sanctions, correction orders, and conditional licenses received after pool use was allowed. The children and families agency can arrange fire inspections and agreements to check whether fire-code violations were fixed. Agreements must specify inspection items, training, and fire-marshal help procedures. Certified municipalities receive state liability protection for required provider inspections or investigations under the children and families licensing law.

Health boards must review maltreatment findings

Health licensing boards must consider discipline or corrective action after agency notice of substantiated maltreatment by a regulated person. Boards must share required determinations with the agencies. They also must report covered facilities allowing direct-contact services by a regulated person who is not meeting applicable requirements.

State coordinates prevention of infant substance exposure

The health commissioner must coordinate statewide work to prevent fetal alcohol effects and reduce drug-exposed births. Education, human services, and children, youth, and families officials must take part. The effort includes research, worker training, and a statewide media campaign. Implementation depends on available funding; the law states no funding amount.

Teen pregnancy prevention depends on funding

When funds are available, the health commissioner must develop and run Minnesota Education Now and Babies Later. This pregnancy prevention program serves young people ages 12–14. The commissioner must consult other state officials, including the children, youth, and families commissioner. The law states no funding amount.

Schools avoid certain child placement costs

This rule covers children with disabilities placed outside their home district by the children and families commissioner or an agent. When placement is for reasons other than special education, neither the teaching district nor the home district pays board, lodging, or treatment. The provision does not identify another payer or change a family's direct payment duty.

Agencies coordinate county hospital cost payments

Human Services and the children and families commissioner must set procedures for paying the state's share of covered county hospitalization costs. Procedures can address county-liability deductions, reimbursement claims, eligibility standards, and medical-care use. The law does not set a new household payment or benefit formula.

Children's agency helps manage welfare trust money

The children and families commissioner joins Human Services and the Direct Care and Treatment board in managing the social welfare fund. The commissioner shares deposit and recordkeeping duties and can distribute money for eligible beneficiaries. The fund holds money in trust or for the benefit of people covered by its rules. This change does not expand eligibility or promise a new payment.

Schools get help billing for student healthcare

The education commissioner must develop a statewide data system with human services and children, youth, and families officials. It helps school districts and cooperative units get Medical Assistance reimbursement for health services in students’ special education plans. It also covers services in individual family service plans. This changes school billing procedures, not families’ Medical Assistance eligibility.

Required statewide poor-relief minimum standards end

The state no longer must set minimum eligibility and payment standards for poor relief that account for county living costs. The repeal removes that required statewide safeguard. It does not end county poor-relief assistance or set new payment amounts.

Energy aid records support telephone assistance

The state can share identifying information about eligible energy assistance applicants with Human Services and the children and families department. Shared details are the applicant's name, phone number, and last four Social Security number digits. Disclosure to others is limited to deciding household eligibility for telephone assistance. The law does not change eligibility rules or benefit amounts.

Licensing records follow privacy and disclosure rules

State data-classification and sharing rules apply to licensing and registration records held by the children and families department. Juvenile court records also can be disclosed when the children and families licensing law requires it. This exception does not make juvenile records generally public. These changes do not alter who qualifies for a license.

Child care accountability and hearing rights expand

Child maltreatment rules cover facilities licensed under the children and families licensing law; mandated reporters must report to the licensing agency. Responsibility decisions must consider compliance with rules, not whether a required risk assessment or risk-reduction plan is complete. If the person responsible for maltreatment also holds the license, both the person and facility are responsible, and licensing actions apply. License holders get a contested hearing covering maltreatment findings, disqualification, and resulting license denial or sanctions, subject to review limits. Specified evidence restrictions do not apply to child abuse or neglect evidence in day care or foster care license-revocation proceedings.

Agencies gain access to protected records

Revenue must share specified tax information requested by the children and families commissioner for child-support enforcement and locating absent parents. Tax-credit and property-tax-refund claim information also can verify family cash aid, food support, and child care assistance claims. Human Services retains similar authority for general assistance and Minnesota Supplemental Aid. Both agencies can request access to covered federal tax and national criminal-history records, subject to required safeguards. These sharing rules do not change tax bills or benefit eligibility formulas.

Benefit investigations expand with privacy limits

The children and families commissioner can withhold investigator disclosures that threaten ongoing investigations, but must give requested records to the ombudsman. The existence of a possible public-fund overpayment investigation can be disclosed only when disclosure will not harm it. The commissioner can access mental health data needed for suspected-fraud investigations, while privacy rights remain protected. Sharing with prosecutors is limited to necessary data. After receiving a required report of an arrest involving multiple welfare benefit cards, law enforcement must forward it within 30 days; commissioners check whether possession was authorized.

Counties face service standards and repair plans

Each commissioner must set service measures, review county performance, and provide help for programs their agency oversees. Counties and service delivery authorities missing standards in more than half of defined essential programs can face merger or administration-transfer remedies. Racial or ethnic performance gaps require improvement plans, even when overall results meet standards. The performance council recommends findings on disparities, and the commissioner decides. Only the commissioner overseeing a program can act; both commissioners must act jointly when both agencies' programs are involved.

Health agencies share sensitive family records

The children and families commissioner can access private birth-record health data for public health purposes set by the health commissioner. The health commissioner can use human services and children and families data to study care, services, and housing. This work aims to reduce preventable maternal deaths. Data transferred for maternal death studies keeps its existing privacy classification.

Tribal job programs face funding reviews

Tribes must submit new employment and training plans at least 45 days before programs start. The employment commissioner reviews plans with the human services and children, youth, and families commissioners. Decisions are due within 60 days for existing-program plans or updates, and within 30 days for new-program plans. The commissioner may recommend withholding program money when a plan or update is rejected or misses its submission deadline.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn
Democratic • House

Cosponsors

Nolan West
Republican • House
Wiklund
Affiliation unavailable

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 185 • No: 14

Senate vote • 5/5/2025

Third Reading

Yes: 53 • No: 12

House vote • 4/25/2025

Passage

Yes: 132 • No: 2

Actions Timeline

Secretary of State Chapter 21
5/15/2025Senate
Governor's action Approval
5/15/2025Senate
Presentment date
5/13/2025Senate
Third reading Passed vote: 53-12
5/5/2025Senate
Special Order
5/5/2025Senate
Returned from Senate
5/5/2025House
Second reading
4/29/2025Senate
Comm report: Subst. for SF on General Orders SF2706
4/29/2025Senate
Referred to Rules and Administration for comparison with SF2706, now on General Orders
4/28/2025Senate
Introduction and first reading
4/28/2025Senate
Received from House
4/28/2025Senate
Bill was passed vote: 132-2
4/25/2025House
Third reading
4/25/2025House
House rule 1.21, placed on Calendar for the Day Friday, April 25, 2025
4/24/2025House
Second reading
4/7/2025House
Committee report, to adopt as amendeda
4/7/2025House
Committee report, to adopt and re-refer to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law
3/27/2025House
Introduction and first reading, referred to Children and Families Finance and Policy
3/20/2025House

Bill Text

1st Engrossment
HTML PDF
Introduction
HTML PDF

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