1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to child care; authorizing grants to local communities to increase child 
1.3 	care providers; appropriating money; requiring a report.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. APPROPRIATION.
 1.6 	(a) $519,000 in fiscal year 2019 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner 
1.7 	of employment and economic development for grants to local communities to increase the 
1.8 	supply of quality child care providers in order to support economic development. This is a 
1.9 	onetime appropriation. At least 60 percent of grant funds must go to communities located 
1.10 	outside of the seven-county metropolitan area, as defined under Minnesota Statutes, section 
1.11 	473.121, subdivision 2. Grant recipients must obtain a 50 percent nonstate match to grant 
1.12 	funds in either cash or in-kind contributions. Grant funds available under this section must 
1.13 	be used to implement solutions to reduce the child care shortage in the state, including but 
1.14 	not limited to funding for child care business start-ups or expansions, training, facility 
1.15 	modifications or improvements required for licensing, and assistance with licensing and 
1.16 	other regulatory requirements. In awarding grants, the commissioner must give priority to 
1.17 	communities that have documented a shortage of child care providers in the area.
1.18 	(b) Within one year of receiving grant funds, grant recipients must report to the 
1.19 	commissioner on the outcomes of the grant program, including but not limited to the number 
1.20 	of new providers, the number of additional child care provider jobs created, the number of 
1.21 	additional child care slots, and the amount of local funds invested.
2.1 	(c) By January 15 of each year, starting in 2020, the commissioner must report to the 
2.2 	standing committees of the legislature having jurisdiction over child care and economic 
2.3 	development on the outcomes of the program to date.