1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to health; requiring the commissioner of
1.3 	health to study the health impacts of pesticides on
1.4 	migrant agricultural workers; appropriating money.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. MIGRANT AGRICULTURAL WORKERS HEALTH STUDY.
 1.7 		Subdivision 1.Research study. (a) The commissioner of
1.8 	health shall establish and maintain a long-range study, for at
1.9 	least ten years, that meets the following objectives:
1.10 	(1) to identify which pesticides, herbicides, and other
1.11 	agricultural chemicals migrant agricultural workers are exposed
1.12 	to in the state;
1.13 	(2) to identify the immediate and long-term health impacts
1.14 	of exposure to atrazine, tri-chlorozine, and other pesticides,
1.15 	herbicides, and agricultural chemicals on migrant agricultural
1.16 	workers;
1.17 	(3) to identify the impacts of repeated exposure to
1.18 	atrazine, tri-chlorozine, and other pesticides, herbicides, and
1.19 	agricultural chemicals on migrant agricultural workers;
1.20 	(4) to determine the costs of the health impacts identified
1.21 	under clause (2) on the health care system in the state; and 
1.22 	(5) to identify steps to reduce the immediate and long-term
1.23 	health impacts of exposure to atrazine, tri-chlorozine, and
1.24 	other pesticides, herbicides, and agricultural chemicals on
1.25 	migrant agricultural workers.
2.1 		Subd. 2.Data. The study shall use data collected by
2.2 	rural health clinics, county public health offices, and other
2.3 	locations that have volunteered to collect the data.  All data
2.4 	must be collected from migrant workers who have volunteered to
2.5 	participate in the study.  The data collected may include:
2.6 	blood samples to identify toxin levels; health histories; areas
2.7 	of the state worked; known pesticides, herbicides, and
2.8 	agricultural chemicals exposed to; and other information.  The
2.9 	data should be collected annually/seasonally in order to track
2.10 	impacts over time.
2.11 		Subd. 3.Duties of the commissioner of health. (a) The
2.12 	commissioner of health, in order to meet the objectives in
2.13 	subdivision 1, shall work in consultation with state councils
2.14 	representing populations of color, including recipients of
2.15 	migrant health grants under Minnesota Statutes, section 145A.14,
2.16 	subdivision 1, and migrant and seasonal farm worker
2.17 	organizations in order to ensure that the study is conducted in
2.18 	a culturally sensitive manner.
2.19 	(b) The commissioner of health shall prepare a report every
2.20 	two years that:  documents the progress of the study; reports
2.21 	study findings; makes recommendations on legislative or other
2.22 	policy changes; and reports efforts made to obtain funding for
2.23 	the study.  The report must be submitted to the chairs of the
2.24 	legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human
2.25 	services, with the first report submitted by January 15, 2008,
2.26 	and succeeding reports submitted by January 15 every two years
2.27 	until the end of the study.  The commissioner of health shall
2.28 	also make a copy of the report available on the Department of
2.29 	Health's Web site.

2.30 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.31 	$....... is appropriated from the general fund to the
2.32 	commissioner of health for fiscal year 2006.  $....... is
2.33 	appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of health
2.34 	for fiscal year 2007.  $....... of the fiscal year 2007
2.35 	appropriation shall be used as base funding for fiscal year
2.36 	2008.  The remaining funding for the program in years following
3.1 	fiscal year 2008 shall be obtained from the federal government,
3.2 	nonprofits, and other sources, but shall not include the state,
3.3 	or any organization or entity that directly or indirectly
3.4 	profits from the sale of pesticides, herbicides, or other
3.5 	agricultural chemicals.