[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,99,110],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6629256,"mediaKeyId","2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364","parentId",2705411,"title","Lawmakers consider funding to expand Foster Youth Ombudsperson outreach to reach youth in care","audioSeconds",99,"startMs",581157,"endMs",680780,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364&start=581&end=680","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364/thumbnail_581157.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6629256/Minnesota/Lawmakers-consider-funding-to-expand-Foster-Youth-Ombudsperson-outreach-to-reach-youth-in-care","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629256-84567008a69c2ef99b50d92d556dead8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720414&Signature=K1KuVRD1OeKhn2zF6GqcrVPIrgsd8EeN6XgU2-6VGpiUtcEv-lzx~5UywGxJ448J-5gGMYS9Zzlu2f0PARTp32rjBNt4CFCSEizuj05YRqIJ7OPdu6~nh2AQ918JQbGi6Y5LfoI19JkQovdkuvT3tXw1IZ59ChhnVv3Y6ZZPd16ag8LHsbbkYBR1sKPS9DApG80ffAhVjYJ60phXRpfB85zWYq~15rXvmQieMua8k-S1f8xC4hTlcafautIyM9RNeURdpY0Ep~gA5FAlUGMvwkY8--bSs-FvCCqcX4IiFvy4F2qQaUY4fyNtQ6VC-K-lrO6qafXp4HcJ1BUtz2-M2A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-03-20T02:53:12.87Z","article","House File 2009, carried by Vice Chair Hansen, would provide an appropriation to expand the Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson (UFIE) by funding two full-time outreach staff to proactively visit foster placements, create youth‑friendly materials and connect foster youth to the ombuds office. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.

Representative Liz Olson Hansen (Vice Chair Hansen) summarized the office's history, noting bipartisan passage of the original enabling law in 2022 and that the ombuds office opened in early 2024 to serve roughly 10,000 foster youth in Minnesota. The bill sponsor said the requested positions would increase the office’s ability to meet youth where they live — including family foster homes, group homes, residential placements and out-of-state facilities — and to provide education about rights and complaint options.

Misty Koontz, the Foster Youth Ombudsperson, described why proactive outreach matters: many foster youth do not receive consistent information about their rights and protections when they enter care. Koontz said several of UFIE's current staff have lived experience in foster care and that in-person connections are the most effective way to surface concerns. \"We know that the most effective outreach to foster youth is through proactive in person connections,\" Koontz said, adding the office already follows models used by ombuds programs in other states.

Two young people with foster-care experience — Vivian Dudley and Travis Matthews — testified about not knowing their rights while in care and about using ombuds-style advocacy later to help peers. They said a proactive outreach presence could have changed their own experiences and urged lawmakers to fund staff to do that outreach.

Koontz asked for a $240,000 increase to the office's base appropriation to support two full-time staff, materials and travel to visit placements. Committee members praised the office, and Vice Chair Hansen said the appropriation would help the office inform youth and hold systems accountable.

Action: The committee laid House File 2009 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus process.

Why it matters: Testifiers said many foster youth do not learn their rights and that a small, proactive outreach investment could help youth identify and report violations, reduce isolation and ensure central oversight. Supporters framed the request as relatively modest to create statewide outreach capacity.

Provenance: Discussion began when Vice Chair Hansen introduced HF 2009 and concluded with the committee laying the bill over for possible omnibus inclusion.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee 3/19/25","oneSentenceSummary","House File 2009 would add two outreach positions to the Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson to provide proactive, in-person outreach and rights education to foster youth; the committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6629258,"Bill would bar child-protection screening when families seek care but no child's mental-health services are available",197,380481,577904,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364&start=380&end=577","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364/thumbnail_380481.jpg","/articles/6629258/Minnesota/Bill-would-bar-child-protection-screening-when-families-seek-care-but-no-childs-mental-health-services-are-available","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629258-3033b7b94333fd7bf0f33b1ec93a546f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720414&Signature=Ec80WYoPO3kRBOUlG4ZxZgi6f-iJbqDbZxIcZpIoVdtNT4qo4DqcHsS9aVOSJCp-c2gvLQyttOzFDWrHHb1YVQPNKf1j-mJGzj7D2UdW3kDYSn2gcnF7aYc1aTGBNvuK0e1mh416KE0MlFO2dq7HseLlEPXVQcfoQtfZUQ0sU7N3KquJ44sEoxx1drJyvYxrkjiSyTZ5aZAc6fswSFVquHG~Fzgs437Vt3bAGooD1J4sebOSGAKx0z7HVh7Jyo2D4fT4q0eY7-J67E7D9b14FVOgFOv0QbkD-zZJwFDofr4bqBkHNKJjZBeSyaYoONaFxbhVw7EJGfHAerOgwvU9pQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House File 1614, carried by Representative Kraft with a DE1 amendment adopted in committee, would place into statute the department screening policy adopted in 2023 that directs counties not to screen families into child protection when a child cannot be safely discharged home due to lack of available children's mental-health services and the parents are actively engaged in seeking care. The committee adopted the DE1 amendment (which relocates language into Minnesota Statutes chapter 260E) and re-referred the bill to the Committee on Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.

Representative Kraft said the policy is intended to stop hospitals and counties from treating parents who are actively trying to secure services for children with severe behavioral or psychiatric needs as neglectful. \"These are families who are engaged with and love their child, but their child's needs are very complex,\" Kraft said. Testimony stressed the distinction between parental neglect and system-level lack of capacity.

Sue Abderholden, executive director of NAMI Minnesota, described multiple family stories in which parents seeking placements or services were threatened with child protection referrals and expressed anger that counties and hospitals sometimes continued to treat the policy as nonbinding guidance. \"By putting these families in child protection, you're threatening their jobs and their ability to keep their families together,\" Abderholden said, and urged lawmakers to codify the screening language in statute.

Families and advocates described prolonged stays in emergency rooms, repeated psychiatric hospital admissions, long wait lists for residential treatment, and situations in which parents who refused unsafe discharge plans were threatened with child-protection reports. Testifiers urged that the statute clarify that lack of service capacity is a systemic failure and not parental neglect.

The Office of the Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities and other witnesses supported the bill, while the Minnesota Association of County Social Service Administrators (MACSSA) voiced concerns that overly rigid statutory language could limit a county's ability to respond when child protection intervention is genuinely warranted and might create barriers to voluntary services. MACSSA said it supports the DE1 amendment and urged additional investments across the children's mental-health continuum.

Action: The committee adopted the DE1 amendment and re-referred the bill to the Committee on Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.

Why it matters: Witnesses described families who exhausted available options yet faced child-protection screening and potential loss of employment and custody. Supporters said codifying the screening policy would prevent families from being penalized for statewide gaps in children's mental-health capacity; county groups urged statutory language be balanced with flexibility to protect children when maltreatment is present.

Provenance: Discussion began when Representative Kraft introduced HF 1614 and concluded with the committee's adoption of DE1 and re-referral of the bill.","House File 1614 would put into statute a 2023 screening policy that directs counties not to screen families into child protection when parents are actively seeking care but children cannot be discharged home safely because services are unavailable; the committee adopted an amendment and re‑referred the bill to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":42,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6629259,"Bill to require reporting of 1099 contractors to new-hire database moves to judiciary committee",275797,375417,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364&start=275&end=375","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364/thumbnail_275797.jpg","/articles/6629259/Minnesota/Bill-to-require-reporting-of-1099-contractors-to-new-hire-database-moves-to-judiciary-committee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629259-a8a6ec882dcf7d1c5e08122e4c57d531/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720414&Signature=Gvsp7Kngj9Md6jCu2p5YfE~vI-yr2vbrrbODxuMVygNTwlPi5UR1-eqSlZgIphAhYnQt6VylgLgdagVp4XAijv7OPVJCPUIpDlAilzozQGMDLzhjAMgaPTMlWDiyT3Fkh9IYEHhmlaxImKh5Uco~e4j6u1P1RYpjByMh6XCyzNrBKKlcQdHX7ax62mDETSIbk3q1lUlDpZwGkSJ4hPaIkRzS8~dFbY63~UEusKrzSbfLXbs6LQSvuZs2pm9~soIHbeah8Iez14GE8ay-0tYhzk7-C-bmE4t5Vzog5hvP0dY~6PtwbgYHSvgpjK~nsJ1I86SJe15mjBzL-RlyunMk0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House File 1316, introduced by Representative Kate Curran, would require reporting of 1099 independent contractors (commonly known as \"1099 workers\") into the state's new-hire database to help enforce child support orders. The committee adopted an author's A1 amendment that changed the bill's effective date to July 1, 2026, and then re-referred the bill to the Committee on Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.

Trish Schophammer, director of child support services in the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, described the problem driving the legislation: gig-economy earnings and other nontraditional income streams are harder to discover for child-support enforcement because independent contractors are not required to be reported to the state's existing new-hire system. Schophammer said 20 states already require reporting of independent contractors and that the proposed change would align Minnesota with those states.

Representative Curran and witnesses told the committee the bill would reuse the state's existing new-hire reporting portal managed by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and that DCYF partners would implement necessary interface changes. Curran said the change is operationally simple: employers would visit the new-hire portal and enter contractor information the same way they enter employee new-hires. The author and witnesses acknowledged an additional reporting burden on employers but argued improved child-support collections would offset costs.

Members asked about implications for small contractors, trucking subcontractors and firms that use many independent contractors. Witnesses and the author said compliance could create an additional administrative burden for employers, and county representatives noted outreach and education by DCYF would be needed to inform employers of the new requirement. The bill author said effective date changes were added to allow implementation time.

Action: The committee adopted the author's amendment (A1) and re-referred House File 1316, as amended, to the Committee on Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.

Why it matters: Supporters argued the proposal would make it easier to locate income and establish income withholding for child support, especially as more workers earn money in gig and contract arrangements. Counties and some members expressed concern about added administrative burden on employers and sought information on employer notification and compliance mechanisms.

Provenance: Discussion begins with Representative Curran introducing HF 1316 and ends when the chair announced the bill was re-referred to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law.","House File 1316, which would require employers to report 1099 independent contractors to the state's new-hire database to improve child support collections, was amended (effective date changed) and re-referred to the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee; sponsors said the change would use existing reporting systems maintained by DCYF.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6629260,"Committee forwards bill to fund forensic interview scholarships to Public Safety",0,6091000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364&start=6091&end=6091","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364/thumbnail_6091000.jpg","/articles/6629260/Minnesota/Committee-forwards-bill-to-fund-forensic-interview-scholarships-to-Public-Safety","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629260-aed798f18bf210af22fa3d395882838f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720414&Signature=e-phZ3puQ8BPo6y0a-VjLBoPtP1AlKAVZPyvM9YUAqIGSL7s4FxP4mhZD5EP4omkrvR-7AJYe8OEhkeqkuzuvHe55JCRXkAowohiLytF2F2364oQXEye9iUDjjnhAWJhjoXEro2ymiHYfTqfrgrkrQaQNWocvskUD43Iq~2N4w272-yLnmDd9CWJu~NUWrYgH~dWjcEjacLLb6GXmddjydcsVHy46ykh6nGdbQBs4fIu5HCCCIaGCF4FzHzRVr8qSIRt747-C2s8AcianrXaWU0n-3Lred11241Z3f~soUR8veq12j4IMcqNaIE20j-lezBRBMtJepSAqVomnf4bcw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House File 2136, introduced by Representative Johnson, would appropriate $500,000 over the next biennium to fund scholarships for forensic interview training for multidisciplinary team members — including law enforcement, child protection social workers, prosecutors, health care professionals and children's advocacy center staff. The committee voted to re-refer the bill to the Committee on Public Safety.

Representative Johnson said the scholarships would expand access to basic, advanced and specialized forensic interview training, strengthening interviews that gather information in child maltreatment investigations. \"Forensic interviews are critical for child maltreatment investigations,\" she said, adding that well-conducted interviews reduce retraumatization and limit duplicate questioning of children.

Wade Rausch, division commander, St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, described how a single, research-based forensic interview produces a consistent, legally sound account for a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Rausch said forensic interviewing protocols help investigators interpret disclosures in developmentally appropriate, nonleading ways and prevent multiple professionals from separately re-interviewing a child.

Marcia Milliken, executive director of the Minnesota Children's Alliance, called forensic interviews \"life saving,\" and said the state relies on nationally recognized protocols and regional trainers such as First Witness and CornerHouse. Milliken told the committee that prior federal Children's Justice Act Task Force scholarships have supported training but that federal funds are increasingly constrained; she urged state support to preserve access to training.

Olmsted County child protection program manager Carrie Hone (participating remotely) described county reliance on scholarships to pay for basic and advanced trainings for staff who conduct forensic interviews. Hone said the trainings use a protocol-based approach and are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive and legally sound.

Committee members asked operational questions: Representative Nadeau asked whether the scholarships would support \"train-the-trainer\" programs, and Milliken and witnesses described three tiers of training: a minimum basic forensic interview (about 32 hours, typically four to five days), advanced training for experienced interviewers, and specialized modules (for example, interviewing nonverbal children). Representative Johnson said classes cost about $1,300 each and that the $500,000 appropriation would be used to maximize scholarship availability.

Action: The committee voted to re-refer House File 2136 to the Committee on Public Safety.

Why it matters: Witnesses said better-trained interviewers strengthen child-protection and criminal investigations, reduce needless retraumatization from multiple interviews and improve service planning for children. Supporters described the funding as preventive and cost-effective compared with repeated investigative interviews and the downstream costs for children who do not receive appropriate interventions.

Provenance: Discussion began when Representative Johnson introduced HF 2136 and concluded with the committee's referral vote sending the bill to public safety.","House File 2136, proposing $500,000 over the next biennium for scholarships to fund specialized forensic interview training for professionals working with child maltreatment cases, was re-referred to the Public Safety Committee after testimony from law enforcement, county child protection and children's advocacy centers.",{"_33":111,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":112,"_41":113,"_43":114,"_45":115,"_47":116,"_49":117,"_51":118,"_53":119,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":120,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":121,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6629261,"Committee hears testimony to shift YIP grants from public safety to children-and-families oversight",2500,3592000,6092000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364&start=3592&end=6092","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2705411-fba8b5c649f1c1fe183bf1fa7fb27364/thumbnail_3592000.jpg","/articles/6629261/Minnesota/Committee-hears-testimony-to-shift-YIP-grants-from-public-safety-to-children-and-families-oversight","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6629261-1c73c4690a67148c356a072e8ee95acd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720414&Signature=kqlo7~~xJMPv4w4DEwigQ6PDnN8O8ExzJ5YksFNU7PU4W-OtrIyPW5IXfxnRDVS93NO5Zmni2ncCl0Uv0ohpwuoXKIyTOgMBXOefUHcHZTAgZ6z5b7Dw~r6niR9OV1w4Jc0Lc6FGrep~rywYe4ZNu~OiGEOEA8kyIieQgKFu0G8ygUJajFA9RwF3q2k1yCRTG5LLc7yMlFm~QCkWBilQgm-F1nCHE8H2uJcDDvkb4DjgNcb2rvVk83U0e3Ji6dxoBumMumw~TuX~x5Iz3j3Xe2wuo9T2EQTwjNXD45CR6nUeNcMO41bt7prSELDt8wugJKdE0NmJjnurB64-70DblA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House File 2362, a bill to fund the Youth Intervention Program (YIP) grants and emphasize youth intervention services under children-and-families administration, was presented to the Minnesota House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee and laid over for possible inclusion.

Representative Emma Feist introduced the bill and described it as an effort to shift longstanding YIP funding out of the public safety realm and into the children-and-families policy area. \"This is a really amazing program that funds youth intervention programs,\" Representative Feist said, noting the program's bipartisan origins and long history in the state.

Paul Meneer, executive director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA), told the committee the grant program dates to 1976 and that YIPA formed in 1984 to support local programs. Meneer said YIP grants fund a wide variety of local interventions that, in his view, work by \"building a trusting, caring relationship with a young person\" and that smaller, local programs often produce large impacts. Meneer clarified that the association (YIPA) does not administer the grant, and that the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) handles grant administration.

Bernadette Pho, executive director of Mediation and Restorative Services, described the typical uses of YIP-funded restorative practices in schools. \"Students learn to come to a mutually agreed upon solution,\" Pho said, and she cited outcomes the programs aim to affect, including school climate, truancy and suspension rates. Miranda Sheffield of the National Center for Youth Law framed the reallocation as an opportunity to \"reimagine how we are addressing harm\" and said moving funding to children-and-families could create new restorative pathways and preventive approaches.

Committee members asked about evidence and outcomes. Meneer pointed to a YIPA outcome survey that uses protective factors from the Search Institute and reported findings such as a majority of participating youth saying programming helped them make better decisions and accept accountability. He also described a local longitudinal study, shared at the hearing, in which a Youth Service Bureau partnered with Washington County and found a 90 percent non-reoffense rate the year after program participation for referred youth. Representative Feist and members emphasized the existence last term of an Office of Restorative Practices and noted that the bill would complement that work.

Representative Nelson and other members described local programs in their districts—Pine County and Minneapolis were cited—while Representative McDonald and others asked whether named local providers (for example, The Bridge for Youth and Sister Rita's House) receive YIP funding; Meneer confirmed those organizations were among approximately 98 grantees currently funded under the program.

The committee did not vote to refer the bill to a different committee; House File 2362 was \"laid over for possible inclusion.\" No specific appropriation or statutory text change was finalized in committee during the hearing.

Why it matters: Committee members framed YIP funding as an upstream investment intended to reduce juvenile justice involvement, decrease truancy and produce long-term savings by preventing deeper system involvement. Supporters urged sustained funding to enable local programs to serve more youth.

Provenance: The discussion began when Representative Feist introduced HF 2362 and ended when the chair announced the bill was laid over for possible inclusion.

","The Minnesota House Children and Families Finance Committee heard testimony on House File 2362, a bill to fund the Youth Intervention Program (YIP) grants and to move administration and funding emphasis from public safety to a children-and-families context; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus package.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lawmakers consider funding to expand Foster Youth Ombudsperson outreach to reach youth in care

Bill would bar child-protection screening when families seek care but no child's mental-health services are available

Bill to require reporting of 1099 contractors to new-hire database moves to judiciary committee

Committee forwards bill to fund forensic interview scholarships to Public Safety

Committee hears testimony to shift YIP grants from public safety to children-and-families oversight