Committee hears testimony on restoring Youth Intervention Program grants to Children and Families realm; bill laid over

Representative Samantha Feist presented House File 2362 to the House Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee, asking members to reauthorize and fund Youth Intervention Program grants and to move administration of this funding into the Children and Families policy area.

The bill, the representative said, would fund the Youth Intervention Program grant (YIP), the state grant program that supports local youth intervention providers. Paul Meneer, executive director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA), told the committee YIP grants date to 1976 and that the association grew out of original grantees' efforts. Meneer said the grants support local, relationship-based work that keeps young people out of the juvenile justice system: "It is really just about building a trusting, caring relationship with a young person that often doesn't have one." Bernadette Pho, executive director of Mediation and Restoration Services, described restorative practices in schools and said restorative approaches can reduce truancy, improve school climate and lessen punitive disciplinary actions. Miranda Sheffield of the National Center for Youth Law said shifting the funding from public safety to children and family services creates an opportunity to "reimagine how we are addressing harm" and emphasized the preventive, cost‑effective nature of the programming.

Feist and testifiers pointed to statewide coverage: the testimony and packet materials cited 98 current grantees and an additional 52 programs that met standards but did not receive funding. Meneer said the grant program's reporting requirement, added last term, produced a report included in members' packets and that the Office of Restorative Practices and other youth restorative grants created last term help provide data and context for outcomes. In response to member questions about measurable outcomes, Meneer described an outcome survey based on the Search Institute protective factors; the survey results in the packet included items such as the share of participants who reported improved decision‑making and increased accountability.

Several members voiced support. Representative Nelson, a co‑author, and Representative Hemmingson Yeager described local restorative programs—Pine County in particular—as models they hope to expand. Representative McDonald related a longstanding family connection to Bridge for Youth and said that organization is an example of a longtime YIP grantee. Representative Nadeau asked about specific deliverables and outcomes; Meneer and other supporters said programs vary widely and report outcomes differently, but the statewide report and the Office of Restorative Practices are intended to improve measurement.

The committee laid House File 2362 over for possible inclusion in the committee's omnibus bill. No final funding amount was approved during the hearing; the bill remains under consideration.