Committee hears bill to let families use waiver funds for adaptive swim lessons after drownings in Somali community

A Minnesota Senate human services committee heard emotional testimony and laid over Senate File 3040, a bill to allow families who receive home- and community-based services funding to use existing waiver or family-support dollars for adaptive swimming lessons and water-safety training for children with autism.

Why it matters: Witnesses described multiple recent drownings in the Somali community and told the committee that children with autism are at sharply increased risk around water. Testimony cited research showing autistic children face substantially higher drowning risk than neurotypical peers; advocates described adapted swimming lessons as a life-saving, cost-neutral use of funds already allocated in individual budgets.

What witnesses said: Senator Mohammed introduced the bill with a series of local cases. Parent and advocate Fatima Molas told the committee her phone has been ringing constantly with parents "living in fear" after two recent drownings, and she urged lawmakers to ensure families can use waiver funds to obtain swim instruction. Maren Christiansen Hofer, executive director of the Multicultural Autism Action Network, said families have recently been denied coverage or told they can use funds only for the incremental cost of adapted lessons; she characterized basic water safety instruction as "life saving" for many children and communities near water.

Officials and fiscal questions: Members pressed Department of Human Services staff on who would pay if added costs result from the change. DHS budget director Elise Bailey told the panel the department was still assessing the fiscal note; she said the department had just received fiscal materials and would determine whether sections of the bill create additional spending. Committee members also discussed whether Medicaid/CMS approval would be required for some waiver changes and whether counties might bear costs if the service were treated as a new waiver benefit.

Committee action: The committee laid Senate File 3040 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus budget and asked DHS and other stakeholders to clarify fiscal impacts and any CMS waiver approvals that might be required. Several senators said they would seek additional accounting of how existing budgets are spent and whether reallocation would impose new costs on counties.

Ending: Supporters emphasized that the bill would not create a new statewide appropriation but would let families allocate funds already assigned through waivers or family support programs, a change they said could prevent further tragedies if implemented and administratively clarified.