ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House on Monday approved a package of measures Rep. Nolan West, R-Blaine, said improves access to childcare and reduces costs, while also addressing maltreatment of children and fraud in state programs.
The provisions are included in an omnibus finance package (H.F. 2435) that also features legislation related to health. Child protection provisions authored by West after his own daughter suffered abuse at a childcare center are included. One measure increases posting requirements to 10 years for childcare mistreatment investigations. Another requires childcare centers with active maltreatment violations to retain video footage for 60 days and have cameras in their infant and toddler rooms.
“Minnesota simply isn’t doing enough to protect our kids, which is something my own family was shocked to learn during our horrific experience,” West said. “It has been a privilege to be able to give a voice to parents of abused children and push for meaningful change as chair of the House Children and Families Committee this session.”
The bill also includes a $5.85 million one-time increase for early-learning scholarships, compared with the $0 West said the Senate and the governor propose. Reforms to increase childcare slots for family and center-based childcare by providing additional flexibility meeting state regulations also are provided in the House bill.
Cracking down on fraud in state government programs has been a major focus of the 2025 session and West said this bill addresses that subject in a couple of ways. First, it reinstates the penalty of perjury when childcare providers submit fraudulent attendance records. In addition, it provides fraud investigators real-time access to attendance records so they can prosecute abuse quicker.
“We aren’t going to totally fix the system with this bill, but it takes numerous small steps in the right direction,” West said. “This bill will stem the bleeding of our childcare providers, provide some support and keep our public assistance systems running and working into the future.”
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