Minn. children’s agency presents budget with CCAP integrity, SSIS modernization and modest general‑fund savings

The Department of Children, Youth and Families on Jan. 30 presented the Walz–Flanagan administration’s 2025 budget proposal to the Minnesota Senate Health and Human Services Committee, emphasizing investments to strengthen program integrity in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), dedicate prior IT funding to SSIS modernization and make modest general‑fund reductions.

Commissioner Chicky Brown said the administration’s package “protects the progress made by pairing thoughtful reductions with small and impactful investments.” She told the committee the budget “does not include cuts to critical social safety net programs” and that it aims to preserve cash assistance and prevent unnecessary foster placements while improving oversight and federal compliance.

Why it matters: the proposal targets long‑standing problems county licensors and lawmakers raised in the hearing — inconsistent attendance records in CCAP, frequent SSIS outages, and the state’s need to meet new federal child‑care rules — while also reflecting the administration’s effort to reduce projected budget pressure in later biennia.

Key proposals and details

- Program integrity/attendance system: The department proposes electronic attendance recordkeeping for CCAP. Brown said the request includes $4.9 million in fiscal 2026–27 (and $2.2 million in 2028–29) to implement a statewide electronic attendance system plus two compliance FTEs to improve grant monitoring and data analytics. Assistant Commissioner Diane…