1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to human services; providing exemptions from 
  1.3             the MinnesotaCare program insurance barriers for 
  1.4             certain employees of iron ore mining companies and 
  1.5             certain vendors; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, 
  1.6             section 256L.07, by adding a subdivision. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 256L.07, is 
  1.9   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 5.  [EXEMPTIONS RELATED TO IRON ORE MINING.] (a) A 
  1.11  qualified individual and the dependents of the qualified 
  1.12  individual are exempt from the requirements of subdivisions 2 
  1.13  and 3 if application for MinnesotaCare is made upon or in 
  1.14  expectation of termination of employer-subsidized health 
  1.15  insurance or upon or in expectation of termination from 
  1.16  continuation coverage.  Qualified individuals and their 
  1.17  dependents are eligible for MinnesotaCare under this subdivision 
  1.18  without accepting available continuation coverage. 
  1.19     (b) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms 
  1.20  have the meanings given them. 
  1.21     (1) "Qualified individual" means an individual who was 
  1.22  permanently laid off due to lack of work after June 1, 1999, 
  1.23  from: 
  1.24     (i) an iron ore mining company in Minnesota, including the 
  1.25  LTV Mining Company power plant operation at Taconite Harbor in 
  1.26  Lake county; or 
  2.1      (ii) a vendor of an iron ore mining company if the 
  2.2   individual was permanently laid off because of the vendor's loss 
  2.3   of business with a single iron ore mining company and the 
  2.4   individual resided in the Arrowhead region at the time of layoff.
  2.5      (2) "Vendor of an iron ore mining company" means an 
  2.6   employer that had at least 25 percent of its total revenue in 
  2.7   2000 from direct sales to a single iron ore mining company in 
  2.8   Minnesota. 
  2.9      (3) "Arrowhead region" includes St. Louis, Lake, Cook, 
  2.10  Carlton, and Itasca counties. 
  2.11     (4) "Termination from continuation coverage" means 
  2.12  termination for any reason, including nonpayment of premium by 
  2.13  the family, child, or individual and termination of coverage due 
  2.14  to reaching the end of the maximum period for continuation 
  2.15  coverage. 
  2.16     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.17     Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.