1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to adult basic education; modifying the 
  1.3             funding formula; appropriating money; amending 
  1.4             Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 124D.53, by adding a 
  1.5             subdivision. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 124D.53, is 
  1.8   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 5a.  [SPARSITY ALLOWANCE.] (a) In addition to adult 
  1.10  basic education aid under this section, an adult basic education 
  1.11  program site identified in an approved plan under section 
  1.12  124D.52, subdivision 2, is eligible for a sparsity allowance if 
  1.13  the program site: 
  1.14     (1) is located a distance of 17 or more miles from the 
  1.15  nearest adult basic education site; 
  1.16     (2) was open and provided academic instruction during 
  1.17  fiscal year 1999; and 
  1.18     (3) was staffed by a teacher for a minimum of 70 hours from 
  1.19  September to June of the fiscal year for which the sparsity 
  1.20  allowance is provided. 
  1.21     (b) The department of children, families, and learning must 
  1.22  provide a sparsity allowance of $10,000 to each adult basic 
  1.23  education site that is eligible under paragraph (a).  A sparsity 
  1.24  allowance under this subdivision is treated as aid for the 
  1.25  purposes of proration under subdivision 6. 
  2.1      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.2      $....... in fiscal year 2000 and $....... in fiscal year 
  2.3   2001 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
  2.4   of children, families, and learning for payment of a sparsity 
  2.5   allowance under section 1 to eligible adult basic education 
  2.6   sites.