1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to children; providing grants for training 
  1.3             for child care workers; creating an advisory 
  1.4             committee; appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [ADVISORY COMMITTEE.] 
  1.7      The department of children, families, and learning shall 
  1.8   establish a temporary advisory committee of child care 
  1.9   practitioners from a variety of programs, geographic regions, 
  1.10  and cultures to assist the department in making grants under 
  1.11  section 2. 
  1.12     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  1.13     $2,000,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2000 and 
  1.14  $2,000,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2001 from the general 
  1.15  fund to the department of children, families, and learning for 
  1.16  child care development grants according to Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.17  section 119B.21. 
  1.18     No more than five percent of this appropriation shall be 
  1.19  used by the grant recipients for administration.  Up to one-half 
  1.20  of the funds must be used for forgivable loans to providers 
  1.21  seeking credit-based training or training leading to 
  1.22  accreditation recognized by the department of children, 
  1.23  families, and learning.  The remaining funds must be for grants 
  1.24  to assist in the establishment or continuation of mentoring 
  1.25  programs, training programs, and apprenticeships and on-site 
  2.1   consultation models for child care center staff and family child 
  2.2   care providers.  Training programs eligible for grants include, 
  2.3   but are not limited to, training for caregivers for children 
  2.4   with special needs, training for persons of color, training for 
  2.5   new providers, and apprenticeships approved by the United States 
  2.6   Department of Labor.