1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to employment; appropriating money for grants to programs to provide 
1.3 	employment support services to persons with mental illness; establishing a task 
1.4 	force to address barriers to employment; requiring a report.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT.
 1.7 	The commissioner of employment and economic development shall establish a task 
1.8 	force to identify barriers that adults with mental illness face in obtaining and retaining 
1.9 	employment and recommend strategies to address these barriers. Members of the task force 
1.10 	shall include representatives from advocacy organizations for people with mental illness, 
1.11 	mental health providers, people with mental illness, and organizations that support people 
1.12 	with mental illness in obtaining employment. The task force shall submit a plan to the 
1.13 	legislative committees with jurisdiction over employment and human services before 
1.14 	February 1, 2024, identifying the barriers to employment and making recommendations on 
1.15 	how to best improve the employment rate among people with mental illness.

1.16 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT SERVICES TO PERSONS 
1.17 	WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.
 1.18 	$2,000,000 in fiscal year 2024 and $2,000,000 in fiscal year 2025 are appropriated from 
1.19 	the general fund to the commissioner of employment and economic development for grants 
1.20 	to programs that provide employment support services to persons with mental illness under 
1.21 	Minnesota Statutes, sections 268A.13 and 268A.14. This appropriation is added to the base 
1.22 	and may be used to sustain current programs and expand programs to areas of the state 
2.1 	without an existing employment support program and to expand existing programs, including 
2.2 	programs that do not currently receive state funding.