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Committee lays over bill directing statewide out‑of‑school time needs assessment
Summary
House File 16-60 would direct the Department of Children, Youth and Families to conduct a statewide assessment of out‑of‑school programming and community needs; committee laid the measure over for possible inclusion.
Rep. Fue Lee Frazier (presenting as Representative Frasier in transcript) introduced House File 16-60 to require a statewide needs assessment of out‑of‑school time programming, including after‑school and summer opportunities. "House File 16‑60 directs the Department of Children, Youth and Families to conduct a statewide needs assessment," she said, describing gaps in access and the goal of producing recommendations for equitable, sustainable expansion.
Community testifiers described the consequences of limited programming. Mira Allen of the Barbershop and Black Congregation Cooperative said parks and summer lunch programs used to provide safe spaces for large families and that investments in youth programming are "necessities" for safety and engagement. Alexandra Fitzsimmons, senior policy director at Children's Defense Fund Minnesota, urged the committee to gather data to inform long‑term solutions and cited that CDF Freedom Schools serve more than 2,000 Minnesota students and that 85% of scholars maintained or improved reading levels over the summer.
Members questioned implementation and scope. Representative Neto described the logistical challenge of cataloging all existing programs in a large county and asked how community engagement and financial assessment would be combined. Author Rep. Frazier replied that the point of an assessment is to identify what works and where gaps remain and that the report would return to the legislature with recommendations. Rep. Mike McDonald asked how the committee would ensure follow‑through on recommendations; Rep. Frazier said the provision requires the report to come back to the legislature and that recommended statutory or budget changes would be considered in the next session.
The committee laid House File 16-60 over for possible inclusion; members noted the bill's intent is to inform future funding and policy decisions and emphasized engaging tribal nations and communities across Greater Minnesota.
