1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; providing an exception to the absent days limit 
1.3 	for certain children;amending Minnesota Statutes 2011 Supplement, section 
1.4 	119B.13, subdivision 7.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2011 Supplement, section 119B.13, subdivision 7, is 
1.7 	amended to read:
1.8 		Subd. 7.Absent days. (a) Licensed child care providers and license-exempt centers 
1.9 	must not be reimbursed for more than ten full-day absent days per child, excluding 
1.10 	holidays, in a fiscal year. Legal nonlicensed family child care providers must not be 
1.11 	reimbursed for absent days. If a child attends for part of the time authorized to be in care 
1.12 	in a day, but is absent for part of the time authorized to be in care in that same day, the 
1.13 	absent time must be reimbursed but the time must not count toward the ten absent day 
1.14 	limit. Children in families where at least one parent is under the age of 21, does not have a 
1.15 	high school or general equivalency diploma, and is a student in a school district or another 
1.16 	similar program that provides or arranges for child care, as well as parenting support, 
1.17 	social services, career and employment supports, and academic support to achieve high 
1.18 	school graduation, may exceed the ten absent days limit upon request of the program 
1.19 	and approval of the county. If a child attends part of an authorized day, payment to the 
1.20 	provider must be for the full amount of care authorized for that day. Child care providers 
1.21 	must only be reimbursed for absent days if the provider has a written policy for child 
1.22 	absences and charges all other families in care for similar absences.
1.23 	(b) Child care providers must be reimbursed for up to ten federal or state holidays 
1.24 	or designated holidays per year when the provider charges all families for these days 
2.1 	and the holiday or designated holiday falls on a day when the child is authorized to be 
2.2 	in attendance. Parents may substitute other cultural or religious holidays for the ten 
2.3 	recognized state and federal holidays. Holidays do not count toward the ten absent day 
2.4 	limit.
2.5 	(c) A family or child care provider must not be assessed an overpayment for an 
2.6 	absent day payment unless (1) there was an error in the amount of care authorized for the 
2.7 	family, (2) all of the allowed full-day absent payments for the child have been paid, or (3) 
2.8 	the family or provider did not timely report a change as required under law.
2.9 	(d) The provider and family shall receive notification of the number of absent days 
2.10 	used upon initial provider authorization for a family and ongoing notification of the 
2.11 	number of absent days used as of the date of the notification.

2.12 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective January 1, 2013.