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Committee lays over bill to expand Care Portal; author seeks $300,000 in FY25, $500,000 in FY26–27
Summary
The Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee laid over House File 18-24 as amended, a bill sponsored by Rep. Ray Rauer to expand Care Portal’s care-sharing technology across Minnesota with a requested state investment and private matching.
Rep. Ray Rauer, author of House File 18-24, told the Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee the bill would fund expansion of Care Portal, a care‑sharing technology that connects children and families in crisis to local churches, nonprofits and volunteers.
"We believe we have found one of those solutions," Rep. Ray Rauer said, introducing the bill and an author's A1 amendment that the committee adopted. The amendment clarified that child‑welfare professionals will submit requests through a third‑party technology portal rather than directly to the state department.
Tim Herroff, Minnesota area director for Care Portal, described how the tool lets child‑serving professionals post vetted requests that local responders — churches, businesses and community groups — can meet. "We have now served over 3,200 Minnesota children since launching and have had a total of, over $1,300,000 in economic impact," Herroff said.
The bill, as explained to the committee, requests $300,000 in state funding for fiscal year 2025 and $500,000 for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Care Portal representatives told the committee private donations would cover roughly 30% of expansion costs. The funding would be used to add staff to onboard county agencies (the requesting agencies) and community responders so the service can expand from four counties to about 20 over two years; counties would be selected using Minnesota Department of Human Services data on counts and rates of children in out‑of‑home care.
Committee members asked about private fundraising and current donations. Herroff said Care Portal had raised about $175,000 in private donations in the current year and cited the Sauer Family Foundation as a local donor. Rep. Mike McDonald asked clarifying questions about the amendment and the adopted funding figures.
The committee adopted the author's A1 amendment and moved House File 18-24, as amended, to be laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
