1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to human services; authorizing a jobs-plus 
  1.3             welfare reform pilot project in Ramsey county; 
  1.4             proposing coding for new law as Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.5             chapter 256J. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [256J.50] [JOBS-PLUS PILOT PROJECT.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [PROJECT AUTHORIZED.] A three-year 
  1.9   jobs-plus pilot project administered by the Manpower 
  1.10  Demonstration Research Corporation is authorized in Ramsey 
  1.11  county.  The commissioner of human services shall cooperate with 
  1.12  the St. Paul public housing authority, Ramsey county, the St. 
  1.13  Paul workforce development center, and the Manpower 
  1.14  Demonstration Research Corporation to develop and implement the 
  1.15  project. 
  1.16     Subd. 2.  [PROJECT DESCRIPTION.] (a) Jobs-plus shall offer 
  1.17  intensive employment-related services and activities to 
  1.18  working-age family residents of the Mt. Airy Homes public 
  1.19  housing development.  McDonough Homes and Roosevelt Homes public 
  1.20  housing developments shall be used as comparison sites.  The 
  1.21  project shall incorporate community support for work, work 
  1.22  incentives, and best practices in preparing people for sustained 
  1.23  employment and in linking residents with jobs. 
  1.24     (b) The Mt. Airy community center shall serve as a hub for 
  1.25  delivery of pilot project services, delivery of related 
  2.1   services, and promotion of community support for work.  The 
  2.2   center shall provide space for economic development and 
  2.3   supportive services programming and for activities that best 
  2.4   respond to diverse resident needs, including expanded child 
  2.5   care, computer technology access, employment-related and 
  2.6   workforce literacy training, job clubs, job fairs, special 
  2.7   workshops, and life skills training. 
  2.8      (c) The pilot project shall promote the involvement of Mt. 
  2.9   Airy Homes residents in the development and implementation of 
  2.10  the pilot project through community meetings, celebrations and 
  2.11  recognition events, and the inclusion of resident 
  2.12  representatives in planning and implementation activities. 
  2.13     (d) The commissioner may authorize work incentives that 
  2.14  exceed the incentives provided to participants in the Minnesota 
  2.15  Family Investment Program-Statewide (MFIP-S).  Pilot project 
  2.16  work incentives may include, but are not limited to: 
  2.17     (1) disregards for savings plans for education and 
  2.18  automobile and home purchases; 
  2.19     (2) higher asset limits for motor vehicles; 
  2.20     (3) transitional medical assistance and child care 
  2.21  assistance for 18 months rather than 12; and 
  2.22     (4) disregards of all public housing subsidies. 
  2.23     (e) The commissioner of human services, the St. Paul public 
  2.24  housing authority, Ramsey county, the St. Paul workforce 
  2.25  development center, and the Manpower Development Research 
  2.26  Corporation may negotiate changes as necessary in the program 
  2.27  outlined in paragraphs (a) to (d) in order to develop an 
  2.28  effective jobs-plus project. 
  2.29     Subd. 3.  [PROJECT FUNDING.] The commissioner of human 
  2.30  services may authorize the pilot project only if significant 
  2.31  nonstate funding is available to defray most of the additional 
  2.32  costs associated with the project. 
  2.33     Subd. 4.  [EXEMPTION FROM DATA PRIVACY 
  2.34  PROVISIONS.] Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 13, 
  2.35  Ramsey county and the relevant state agencies may release to the 
  2.36  Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation data on public 
  3.1   assistance benefits received, wages earned, and unemployment 
  3.2   insurance benefits received by residents of the Mt. Airy Homes, 
  3.3   McDonough Homes, and Roosevelt Homes public housing developments 
  3.4   in St. Paul during the period from 1992 to 2002 for the purposes 
  3.5   of complying with the research and evaluation requirements of 
  3.6   the jobs-plus program.