Committee adopts amendments to OIG children’s policy bill; DE1 adopted and bill laid over

The committee adopted the DE1 amendment to House File 2,191, an Office of Inspector General children’s policy bill, and laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus package.

Ari Didion, legislative director for the Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General, summarized the amendment as largely technical and compliance‑focused. He told the committee the changes clarify which licenses fall into a new continuous licensing process, post required training hours to meet federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) rules and align statute with updated child‑passenger restraint training from the Department of Public Safety.

Didion said sections addressing certified (license‑exempt) centers clarify first‑aid and CPR expectations, require conditional certifications to be posted publicly, and align those centers’ health and safety requirements with licensed centers. Article 2 of the amendment inserts a prohibition on kickbacks in both the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and in Medical Assistance. Didion and members discussed exemptions: CCAP language explicitly exempts certain marketing/promotional offers and discounts intended to benefit an applicant or recipient.

Committee members asked whether ordinary referral discounts — for example, a week of free care offered for referring a family — would run afoul of the kickback prohibition. Victim‑service and oversight testifiers said the bill includes exceptions for promotional offers, scholarships and discounts that directly benefit applicants or recipients.

The committee adopted DE1 by voice vote; the bill was then laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus process.

The department said the DE1 changes were mostly technical and intended to bring Minnesota statute into alignment with federal rules and recently updated training guidance.