1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; providing a grant for the establishment of the kinship 
1.3 	navigator program for grandparents and relatives raising related children; 
1.4 	appropriating money.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. KINSHIP NAVIGATOR PROGRAM APPROPRIATION.
 1.7 	$425,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of human 
1.8 	services, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, for a grant to be transferred to the 
1.9 	Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association (MKCA) for the purposes of providing support 
1.10 	under the kinship navigator program to grandparents or relatives who are raising kinship 
1.11 	children. The services MKCA may provide under this grant include, but are not limited to:
1.12 	(1) research to determine kinship family needs;
1.13 	(2) vital assistance to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of kinship 
1.14 	children;
1.15 	(3) help obtaining legal services;
1.16 	(4) education and information about family support services;
1.17 	(5) mental health and substance abuse referrals;
1.18 	(6) help obtaining public assistance;
1.19 	(7) advocating on behalf of kinship families; and
1.20 	(8) creating mentoring and support groups.