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Committee backs bill to let out‑of‑home respite for children be provided in unlicensed homes
Summary
Senate File 446 would once again allow out‑of‑home respite for minors to be provided in unlicensed residential settings under specified safety checks; committee recommended the bill to pass and re‑referred it to Health and Human Services.
Senator Zachary Rasmussen presented Senate File 446 to the Senate Human Services Committee, proposing that out‑of‑home respite for children be allowed in unlicensed residential settings under specified safeguards.
Supporters from providers and family advocates told the committee the 2020 change that limited out‑of‑home respite for minors to licensed settings reduced options—especially in Greater Minnesota—and worsened workforce shortages. Sarah Grafton of ARM and Tyler Langenfeld of ACRA described how providers previously offered respite in staff members' private homes under a 245D license structure and said the 2020 change followed a federal waiver amendment. Anita Hajji Mohammed testified on behalf of Long Island Voices about access barriers for immigrant families.
The bill would permit unlicensed out‑of‑home respite for children when specific safeguards are met: background checks for everyone present in the home, a documented home assessment by the child's case manager, a guardian visit before service begins, a residential setting limit of no more than four children at a time, a requirement that each child have a separate bedroom unless siblings share, prohibition on serving children and adults over 21 simultaneously, a 10‑consecutive‑day cap per episode and a 46‑day annual cap per child. Advocates and providers said initial and annual assessments and background studies for individuals aged 13 and older are sensible compromises that preserve child safety while expanding the workforce.
Senator Rasmussen moved the bill. The committee recorded: "All those in favor say aye." The chair then announced the bill was recommended to pass and re‑referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services.
Members discussed fiscal notes and urged updated cost estimates; several senators said increased access to respite could avoid costlier placements and stressed the need to account for savings in fiscal work. The Department of Human Services' role in assumptions and the 2020 federal waiver amendment were discussed but DHS did not provide new fiscal testimony at this hearing.
