1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to human services; establishing a long-term 
  1.3             care facility employee health coverage account; 
  1.4             establishing a task force to develop a plan for 
  1.5             subsidized health coverage for long-term care facility 
  1.6             employees; appropriating money; proposing coding for 
  1.7             new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256B. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [256B.437] [LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY EMPLOYEE 
  1.10  HEALTH COVERAGE ACCOUNT.] 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [CREATION AND FUNDING OF ACCOUNT.] The 
  1.12  commissioner of human services shall establish a long-term care 
  1.13  facility employee health coverage account within the general 
  1.14  fund.  Beginning July 1, 2001, the commissioner shall deposit, 
  1.15  on a monthly basis, 20 cents for each hour worked during the 
  1.16  previous month by all individuals employed by nursing facilities 
  1.17  reimbursed under section 256B.431, 256B.434, or 256B.435 or 
  1.18  intermediate care facilities for persons with mental retardation 
  1.19  or related conditions reimbursed under section 256B.5011.  The 
  1.20  commissioner shall require all facilities to provide information 
  1.21  on employee work hours necessary to implement this subdivision. 
  1.22     Subd. 2.  [USE OF ACCOUNT.] Money deposited into the 
  1.23  account by the commissioner, and any interest accrued, shall be 
  1.24  used by the commissioner to establish and fund a subsidized 
  1.25  health coverage program for employees of long-term care 
  1.26  facilities. 
  2.1      Subd. 3.  [TASK FORCE.] (a) The commissioner shall convene 
  2.2   a 15-member task force to develop a subsidized health coverage 
  2.3   program for employees of long-term care facilities.  Membership 
  2.4   of the task force shall be comprised of:  (1) four 
  2.5   representatives of exclusive bargaining units representing 
  2.6   long-term care facility employees; (2) four representatives of 
  2.7   the long-term care facility industry; (3) one member each 
  2.8   representing the commissioners of human services, health, and 
  2.9   commerce; (4) two members of the house of representatives 
  2.10  appointed by the speaker of the house, one of whom must be from 
  2.11  the minority caucus; (5) two members of the senate appointed by 
  2.12  the subcommittee on committees, one of whom must be a member of 
  2.13  the minority caucus. 
  2.14     (b) Operation of the task force is governed by section 
  2.15  15.059, except that members do not receive per diems. 
  2.16     (c) The task force shall develop a plan to provide 
  2.17  affordable and comprehensive individual and family health 
  2.18  coverage for long-term care facility employees.  The task force 
  2.19  shall also study whether health coverage should be provided to 
  2.20  community-based long-term care workers, and may include coverage 
  2.21  of these employee groups in the plan.  The plan must subsidize 
  2.22  employee coverage using money in the long-term care facility 
  2.23  employee health coverage account.  The task force shall present 
  2.24  the plan to the legislature by December 15, 2002. 
  2.25     Subd. 4.  [CONTINGENT EFFECTIVE DATE.] Subdivision 2 is 
  2.26  effective only if the 2003 legislature enacts legislation to 
  2.27  establish a program to provide subsidized health coverage to 
  2.28  long-term care facility employees.  If the 2003 legislature does 
  2.29  not enact legislation for this purpose by December 31, 2003, all 
  2.30  money in the long-term care facility employee health coverage 
  2.31  account reverts back to the general fund, effective January 1, 
  2.32  2004. 
  2.33     Subd. 5.  [CONTINGENT REPEALER.] If the 2003 legislature 
  2.34  does not enact legislation, by December 31, 2003, to establish a 
  2.35  program to provide subsidized health coverage to long-term care 
  2.36  facility employees, this section is repealed, effective January 
  3.1   1, 2004. 
  3.2      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.3      $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.4   commissioner of human services for the biennium ending June 30, 
  3.5   2003, to fund the long-term care facility employee health 
  3.6   coverage account under section 1. 
  3.7      Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.8      Section 1, subdivision 3, is effective the day following 
  3.9   final enactment.