1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; increasing MFIP and general assistance cash grants; 
1.3 	appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, sections 256D.01, 
1.4 	subdivision 1a; 256J.24, subdivision 5.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 256D.01, subdivision 1a, is amended to 
1.7 	read:
1.8 		Subd. 1a.Standards. (a) A principal objective in providing general assistance is 
1.9 	to provide for single adults, childless couples, or children as defined in section 256D.02, 
1.10 	subdivision 6, ineligible for federal programs who are unable to provide for themselves. 
1.11 	The minimum standard of assistance determines the total amount of the general assistance 
1.12 	grant without separate standards for shelter, utilities, or other needs.
1.13 	(b) The commissioner shall set the standard of assistance for an assistance unit 
1.14 	consisting of an adult recipient who is childless and unmarried or living apart from 
1.15 	children and spouse and who does not live with a parent or parents or a legal custodian. 
1.16 	When the other standards specified in this subdivision increase, this standard must also be 
1.17 	increased by the same percentage.
1.18 	(b) Beginning in fiscal year 2017, the commissioner of human services shall adjust 
1.19 	cash grants under this subdivision for inflation based on the CPI-U for the prior calendar 
1.20 	year.
1.21 	(c) For an assistance unit consisting of a single adult who lives with a parent or 
1.22 	parents, the general assistance standard of assistance is the amount that the aid to families 
1.23 	with dependent children standard of assistance, in effect on July 16, 1996, would increase 
1.24 	if the recipient were added as an additional minor child to an assistance unit consisting of 
2.1 	the recipient's parent and all of that parent's family members, except that the standard may 
2.2 	not exceed the standard for a general assistance recipient living alone. Benefits received 
2.3 	by a responsible relative of the assistance unit under the Supplemental Security Income 
2.4 	program, a workers' compensation program, the Minnesota supplemental aid program, or 
2.5 	any other program based on the responsible relative's disability, and any benefits received 
2.6 	by a responsible relative of the assistance unit under the Social Security retirement program, 
2.7 	may not be counted in the determination of eligibility or benefit level for the assistance 
2.8 	unit. Except as provided below, the assistance unit is ineligible for general assistance if the 
2.9 	available resources or the countable income of the assistance unit and the parent or parents 
2.10 	with whom the assistance unit lives are such that a family consisting of the assistance 
2.11 	unit's parent or parents, the parent or parents' other family members and the assistance unit 
2.12 	as the only or additional minor child would be financially ineligible for general assistance. 
2.13 	For the purposes of calculating the countable income of the assistance unit's parent or 
2.14 	parents, the calculation methods, income deductions, exclusions, and disregards used 
2.15 	when calculating the countable income for a single adult or childless couple must be used.
2.16 	(d) For an assistance unit consisting of a childless couple, the standards of assistance 
2.17 	are the same as the first and second adult standards of the aid to families with dependent 
2.18 	children program in effect on July 16, 1996. If one member of the couple is not included 
2.19 	in the general assistance grant, the standard of assistance for the other is the second adult 
2.20 	standard of the aid to families with dependent children program as of July 16, 1996.

2.21 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 256J.24, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
2.22 		Subd. 5.MFIP transitional standard. (a) The MFIP transitional standard is based 
2.23 	on the number of persons in the assistance unit eligible for both food and cash assistance. 
2.24 	The amount of the transitional standard is published annually by the Department of 
2.25 	Human Services.
2.26 	(b) Beginning in fiscal year 2017, the commissioner of human services shall adjust 
2.27 	the cash assistance portion under paragraph (a) for inflation based on the CPI-U for the 
2.28 	prior calendar year.

2.29 	Sec. 3. INCREASED GENERAL ASSISTANCE GRANT EFFECTIVE JULY 
2.30 	1, 2015.
 2.31 	The following table represents the standard for general assistance under Minnesota 
2.32 	Statutes, section 256D.01, subdivision 1a, effective July 1, 2015:

3.1	Number of People
	Cash
	
3.2	1
	$406
	
3.3	2
	$812

3.4 	Sec. 4. INCREASED MFIP CASH ASSISTANCE PORTION UNDER 
3.5 	MINNESOTA STATUTES, SECTION 256J.24, SUBDIVISION 5, EFFECTIVE 
3.6 	JULY 1, 2015.
 3.7 	The following table represents the MFIP cash assistance portion of the transitional 
3.8 	standard under Minnesota Statutes, section 256J.24, subdivision 5, effective July 1, 2015:

3.9	Number of Eligible People
	Cash Portion
	
3.10	1
	$500
	
3.11	2
	$874
	
3.12	3
	$1,064
	
3.13	4
	$1,242
	
3.14	5
	$1,394
	
3.15	6
	$1,546
	
3.16	7
	$1,700
	
3.17	8
	$1,832
	
3.18	9
	$1,960
	
3.19	10
	$2,070
	
3.20	Each Additional Person
	$106

3.21 	Sec. 5. APPROPRIATION.
 3.22 	$....... in fiscal year 2016 and $....... in fiscal year 2017 are appropriated from the 
3.23 	TANF block grant fund to the commissioner of human services for purposes of sections 1 
3.24 	to 4.