STATE OF MINNESOTA SEVENTH MEETING
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-SIXTH SESSION
EARLY CHILDHOOD FINANCE & POLICY DIVISION
MINUTES
Representative Nora Slawik, Chair of the Early Childhood Finance & Policy Division, called the meeting to order at 4:35 pm on Tuesday, February 03, 2009, in Room 200 of the State Office Building.
The Committee Legislative Assistant noted the roll.
House Members Present:
Slawik (Chair)
Rosenthal (Vice-Chair)
Bly
Buesgens
Downey
Greiling
Hamilton
Laine
Mack
Mariani
Nornes
Peterson
Ward
House Members Excused:
Jackson
A quorum was present.
Representative Buesgens moved that the minutes from Thursday, January 29, 2009 be adopted. THE MOTION PREVAILED.
Emily Adriaens, House Fiscal Analyst, discussed some of the fiscal implications of the Governor Pawlenty’s Budget.
Overview of Governor Pawlenty’s Budget Recommendations for the Early Care and Education initiatives, FY10-11, under the purview of the Minnesota Department of Education:
Commissioner Alice Seagren, Minnesota Department of Education
Tom Melcher, Program Finance, Minnesota Department of Education
Questions to the Department asked about the potential for federal stimulus money, how will the state pay back the accounting shift to districts, will school districts be able to borrow to make up the short-term accounting difference, and what effect this will have on districts with 12% unreserved fund balance.
Chair Slawik asked the new committee page to introduce himself.
Overview of Governor Pawlenty’s Budget Recommendations for the Early Care and Education initiatives, FY10-11, under the purview of the Minnesota Department of Human Services:
Chuck Johnson, Assistant Commissioner for Children and Families, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Jerry Kerber, Director, Licensing Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Questions to the Department were divided along budget changes:
Invest in Early Learning: Does this change take money from basic sliding fee?; Why is there under-spending of basic sliding fee money with people on waiting lists for basic sliding fee assistance?; Will a new computer forecast program eliminate under-spending?; Why hasn’t the state implemented this program?; On what date will the amount of under-spending be known?
Childcare Assistance Programs (CCAP): Will this budget change cause children to receive less care or reduce the number of options for parents?
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Refinancing: Are TANF funds being removed from childcare to fix the deficit?; Could TANF funds be left in the childcare assistance fund?; Is the TANF refinancing an accounting shift?; Is TANF money being taken away from its intended purpose?; Is TANF refinancing - while legal – a moral action?; For what were the TANF grants used?; State law must be changed to allow for an increased amount of the Working Family Credit claim to meet Maintenance Of Effort?; TANF refinancing is made possible because the state is well above the minimum for Maintenance Of Effort?
Fraud Prevention Investigations: How much money is saved for every dollar spent?; Are jobs being lost with this change?; How many of the potential job losses are in rural Minnesota?
Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP): With this change, will some families lose their childcare by losing MFIP coverage?
Questions regarding licensing inquired about the cost increase to a licensed center, how much federal funding would be lost with this change and the justification for the change given a loss of federal funds.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:02 pm.
Representative Nora Slawik, CHAIR
Matthew M. Collie
Committee Legislative Assistant