1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to education; assisting with education and 
  1.3             job training for newly arrived immigrants ages 12 to 
  1.4             24; appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [IMMIGRANT EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM.] 
  1.7      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] An urban immigrant 
  1.8   education and training program is established to assist newly 
  1.9   arrived immigrants ages 12 to 24 in becoming literate and 
  1.10  acquiring vocational skills.  The purpose of the program is to 
  1.11  enable immigrant youth and young adults residing in urban areas 
  1.12  to acquire an education and develop sufficient job skills to 
  1.13  successfully participate in meaningful work and community 
  1.14  affairs. 
  1.15     Subd. 2.  [GRANT APPLICATION.] (a) The commissioner of the 
  1.16  department of children, families, and learning shall award 
  1.17  grants to public or nonprofit organizations working jointly with 
  1.18  independent school district No. 1, Minneapolis, to assist newly 
  1.19  arrived immigrants ages 12 to 24 in becoming literate and 
  1.20  acquiring vocational skills.  Applicant organizations must 
  1.21  provide culturally specific English as a second language 
  1.22  classes, preparation for skilled employment through 
  1.23  apprenticeship or other job training programs focused on 
  1.24  training skilled workers for work in industries with projected 
  1.25  worker shortages, culturally specific child care services or 
  2.1   financing for child care businesses, or business development 
  2.2   training.  Applicant organizations may include community-based 
  2.3   ethnic or religious groups, post-secondary institutions, 
  2.4   community action agencies, family service collaboratives, 
  2.5   workforce development centers, and advocacy groups.  Applicant 
  2.6   organizations must involve parents and community educators and 
  2.7   use appropriate societal support systems to develop and 
  2.8   implement these programs. 
  2.9      (b) Grants must be approximately proportional to the number 
  2.10  of program participants and the level of program activities 
  2.11  needed to accomplish the program purpose. 
  2.12     (c) To be eligible to receive a grant, an organization 
  2.13  working jointly with independent school district No. 1, 
  2.14  Minneapolis, must: 
  2.15     (1) document experiences in programs specifically designed 
  2.16  for new immigrant populations; 
  2.17     (2) ensure that no more than five percent of grant funds 
  2.18  will be used for administration; 
  2.19     (3) have a fiscal accounting and reporting system; 
  2.20     (4) demonstrate organizational experience in English and 
  2.21  bilingual teaching, skilled job development training, or 
  2.22  culturally specific child care; 
  2.23     (5) target new immigrant populations and establish goals 
  2.24  for educating and training; 
  2.25     (6) indicate proposed program size and schedules; 
  2.26     (7) provide outreach and recruitment plans; and 
  2.27     (8) describe staff expertise in education and job 
  2.28  development training and plans to implement education and job 
  2.29  development training. 
  2.30     (d) The commissioner must award grants by September 15, 
  2.31  1999. 
  2.32     Subd. 3.  [PROGRAM COMPONENTS.] A program to provide 
  2.33  education or job training for newly arrived immigrants ages 12 
  2.34  to 24 must: 
  2.35     (1) offer English as a second language classes in school 
  2.36  for youth ages 12 to 16 that have a culturally specific focus, 
  3.1   are taught by community educators, engage parents and societal 
  3.2   support systems, and enhance the life opportunities of 
  3.3   participating youth; 
  3.4      (2) offer a combined educational and vocational program for 
  3.5   youth ages 16 to 24 that provides remedial instruction, job 
  3.6   readiness and job development skills, and social development 
  3.7   opportunities that include a gang prevention component, and that 
  3.8   emphasizes acquiring sufficiently high skills to meet projected 
  3.9   worker shortages; 
  3.10     (3) provide culturally specific child care, training for 
  3.11  culturally specific child care, or financing for culturally 
  3.12  specific child care in order to allow eligible youth to 
  3.13  participate in the program under this section; or 
  3.14     (4) offer a combined educational and vocational program for 
  3.15  youth ages 18 to 24 that provides remedial instruction, job 
  3.16  readiness and job development skills, social development 
  3.17  opportunities, and transportation services to enable eligible 
  3.18  youth to participate in the program under this section, and that 
  3.19  emphasizes acquiring sufficiently high skills to meet projected 
  3.20  worker shortages. 
  3.21     Subd. 4.  [ADVISORY TASK FORCE.] The commissioner may 
  3.22  create an advisory task force under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  3.23  15.014, to advise the commissioner on this program.  Members of 
  3.24  the advisory task force must not participate in grant 
  3.25  discussions in which they have a proposal for funding. 
  3.26     Subd. 5.  [TESTIMONY.] The commissioner shall present 
  3.27  testimony by February 15, 2000, to the education committees of 
  3.28  the legislature summarizing program activities and outcomes and 
  3.29  make recommendations about the need for continuing the program. 
  3.30     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.31     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.32  commissioner of the department of children, families, and 
  3.33  learning in fiscal year 2000 for the purposes of section 1.