1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to public health; appropriating money to be awarded as a grant to advance 
1.3 	research, development, and implementation of tests necessary to respond to the 
1.4 	COVID-19 pandemic.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. APPROPRIATION; COVID-19 TESTING RESEARCH AND 
1.7 	DEVELOPMENT GRANT.
 1.8 		Subdivision 1.Appropriation. $20,000,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2020 from 
1.9 	the general fund to the commissioner of health to award as a grant for the purpose of research, 
1.10 	development, and implementation of tests necessary to effectively respond to the COVID-19 
1.11 	pandemic. This is a onetime appropriation.
1.12 		Subd. 2.Grant program. (a) To be eligible for a grant under this section, an applicant 
1.13 	must be a Minnesota-based clinical research institution that is a national referral center 
1.14 	engaged in providing patient care, medical research, and medical education.
1.15 	(b) A grant received under this section must be used to research, develop, and implement 
1.16 	SARS-CoV-2 testing, including but not limited to:
1.17 	(1) rapid response testing;
1.18 	(2) quantitative droplet digital diagnostic testing;
1.19 	(3) serologic and neutralizing antibody testing;
1.20 	(4) viral antigen testing with mass spectrometry;
1.21 	(5) immune response and stratification testing;
2.1 	(6) SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care testing;
2.2 	(7) SARS-CoV-2 tissue testing; and
2.3 	(8) next-generation sequencing of COVID-19 patients.
2.4 	(c) An eligible grantee must have the ability to establish a team comprised of clinicians, 
2.5 	pathologists, clinical laboratory scientists, and business development professionals to interact 
2.6 	with experts in infectious disease, virology, microbiology, research, and other clinical 
2.7 	laboratories to provide the most efficient response through research, development, and 
2.8 	implementation of SARS-CoV-2 tests necessary to diagnose and effectively treat patients, 
2.9 	identify individuals who may be able to return to work, and aid in the development of a 
2.10 	usable vaccine.
2.11 	(d) A grantee that receives funds under this section must agree to provide:
2.12 	(1) priority processing of tests received from Minnesota providers;
2.13 	(2) free testing and support to all tribal nations within Minnesota; and
2.14 	(3) support to statewide access to serologic testing as testing becomes available.
2.15 	(e) If the commissioner determines that the grantee has used grant funds for purposes 
2.16 	that are not authorized under this section, the commissioner may recover from the grantee 
2.17 	any money previously paid and used by the grantee for the unauthorized purpose.
2.18 		Subd. 3.Assistance from nonstate sources. If a grantee receives funds from a nonstate 
2.19 	source for the research, development, or implementation of testing described in this section, 
2.20 	the grantee must notify the commissioner of the amount received from the nonstate source. 
2.21 	If the commissioner determines that the total amount the grantee received under this section 
2.22 	and from the nonstate source exceeds the costs of the research, development, and 
2.23 	implementation of the testing, the grantee must pay the commissioner the amount that 
2.24 	exceeds the cost up to the amount of funding provided under this section. Any money paid 
2.25 	to the commissioner under this subdivision must be deposited into the general fund.

2.26 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.