Healthcare (Children)

in committee · Minnesota · Senate May 5, 2026

SF 5257: Parent's Bill of Rights

SF 5257, titled the Parent's Bill of Rights, establishes a legal framework in Minnesota to protect parental authority over the upbringing, education, and health care of their minor children. The bill explicitly reserves these rights to parents and prohibits government entities from obstructing them, requiring written consent for medical procedures, biometric scans, and the storage of biological samples unless a medical emergency exists. It also mandates that parents be notified if a crime is suspected against their child and prohibits employees from coercing children to withhold information from parents. While the act affirms these protections, it clarifies that it does not authorize child abuse, neglect, or actions that would end a child's life, nor does it restrict the legal authority of courts and law enforcement.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly protects parental rights over children's healthcare decisions and mandates consent for medical procedures, thereby safeguarding patient autonomy.90% confidence

Tags Children Families

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in committee · Minnesota · Senate Apr 9, 2026

SF 5018: Number increase of physical therapy visits available to children under medical assistance

This bill expands the number of covered physical therapy visits available to children under Minnesota's medical assistance program. It establishes a limit of 30 visits per year for children recovering from hospital-based surgeries, while maintaining a limit of 14 visits for all other recipients. The legislation also clarifies reimbursement rates for physical therapy assistants, ensuring they are paid the same as physical therapists when working on-site, but at 65 percent of the standard rate when working remotely. These changes take effect the day after final enactment, with the new visit limits for children applying starting January 1, 2027, or upon federal approval, whichever occurs later.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands covered physical therapy visits for children and clarifies reimbursement rates, improving access and funding.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Tags Children

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in committee · Minnesota · Senate Apr 29, 2026

SF 5247: Protecting Families and Children Act Establishment

The Protecting Families and Children Act establishes a legal framework in Minnesota to restrict gender transition procedures for minors and strengthen parental rights in education and healthcare. It prohibits the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors, defines biological sex based on genetics and anatomy, and requires parental consent for certain school activities. The bill also creates a new felony offense for grooming minors for sexual exploitation, repeals laws banning non-coercive talk therapy, and restores home-state jurisdiction in child custody disputes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill creates a new felony offense for grooming minors, directly strengthening criminal justice enforcement and protecting vulnerable populations.85% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill restricts curriculum and school activities by prohibiting puberty blockers and requiring parental consent, limiting educational access for transgender students.85% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts access to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors, limiting specific healthcare services.95% confidence

Tags Children

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in committee · Minnesota · House Mar 23, 2026

HF 4547: Department of Human Services and Department of Children, Youth, and Families forecasted program adjustments made.

This bill adjusts the forecasted budget for Minnesota's Department of Human Services and Department of Children, Youth, and Families for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It modifies existing appropriations from the general fund and other named funds to reflect updated financial projections for various programs. The changes specifically affect funding levels for services including general assistance, housing support, MinnesotaCare, and medical assistance. The bill provides updated financial figures that state agencies will use to plan and allocate resources for these human services programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill adjusts forecasted budget to reflect updated financial projections and modifies appropriations to maintain funding levels for essential services including general assistance, housing support, and medical assistance.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill adjusts budget forecast for DHS and DCYF, explicitly including medical assistance and MinnesotaCare funding adjustments, indicating support for healthcare programs through financial allocation.75% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill adjusts budget for housing support programs within DHS, maintaining funding levels for housing assistance services.65% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Tags Children

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in committee · Minnesota · House Mar 18, 2026

HF 4432: Child care assistance program absent days limit exemption established, and technical changes made.

This bill modifies Minnesota's child care assistance program rules regarding how providers are reimbursed for days when enrolled children are absent. It maintains a standard limit of 25 absent days per child per year but creates exemptions for children with documented medical conditions, young parents pursuing education, and families affected by extraordinary events like natural disasters. The legislation also clarifies how partial-day absences are counted, establishes notification requirements for families about their absent day usage, and allows parents to substitute cultural or religious holidays for standard state and federal holidays.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill expands educational access by exempting young parents pursuing education from child care absence limits, supporting their ability to balance work and education.75% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill creates exemptions for children with documented medical conditions in child care assistance, improving access to care for vulnerable populations.75% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood Tags Children

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passed · Minnesota · House May 12, 2026

HF 4546: Human services and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families forecasted program adjustments made.

This bill adjusts the forecasted program budgets for Minnesota's Department of Human Services and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It modifies existing appropriation amounts from the general fund and the Health Care Access Fund to reflect updated financial projections for various programs. The changes specifically affect funding levels for services including general assistance, housing support, MinnesotaCare, and medical assistance. The legislation provides updated budget figures to guide how these state agencies allocate resources in the coming years.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill increases funding for essential human services programs including general assistance, housing support, and medical assistance through appropriations adjustments.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill adjusts forecasted program budgets for DHS and DCYF, modifying appropriation amounts from the Health Care Access Fund to reflect updated financial projections for services including MinnesotaCare and medical assistance, indicating increased f...75% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill adjusts budget forecasts to reflect updated funding levels for housing support programs within human services departments.75% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations State Budget Tags Children

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in committee · Minnesota · Senate Mar 12, 2026

SF 4421: Child care assistance program repeal

This bill would eliminate Minnesota's child care assistance program by repealing numerous existing state statutes that govern its operation and administration. The legislation directly affects families who currently receive financial support for child care services and the agencies responsible for managing the program. Key provisions include removing specific legal definitions, payment structures, and regulatory requirements related to child care assistance, with the changes taking effect on July 1, 2027. The bill also directs state officials to identify and remove all references to the program from the state code by February 1, 2027.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationEliminating child care assistance restricts access to education by removing support for working families with children, limiting educational opportunities for students.85% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill eliminates child care assistance program, which restricts access to healthcare-related services for families and reduces funding for support programs.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood Tags Children

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in committee · Minnesota · House May 4, 2026

HF 4548: Department of Human Services and Department of Children, Youth, and Families forecasted program adjustments made.

This bill adjusts the forecasted budget for Minnesota's Department of Human Services and Department of Children, Youth, and Families for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It modifies existing appropriations by adding or subtracting specific amounts from various funds, including the General Fund and Health Care Access Fund, to reflect updated financial projections. The changes primarily affect programs such as General Assistance, Minnesota Supplemental Aid, Housing Support, MinnesotaCare, and Medical Assistance, with significant increases planned for several of these services. The bill provides updated funding figures that state agencies will use to plan and administer human services programs over the next two fiscal years.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill adjusts forecasted budget to reflect updated financial projections, maintaining funding levels for essential human services programs including General Assistance, Housing Support, and MinnesotaCare.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill adjusts budget for DHS including Health Care Access Fund and MinnesotaCare, indicating financial support for healthcare programs75% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill adjusts budget for housing support programs within DHS, indicating funding for housing assistance initiatives.75% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget Tags Children

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in committee · Minnesota · Senate Mar 18, 2026

SF 4581: Child care assistance program absent days limit exemption establishment

This bill amends Minnesota's child care assistance program to create exemptions for the standard limit on reimbursable absent days, which currently caps reimbursement at 25 full-day absences per child per year. The legislation allows children with documented medical conditions, young parents pursuing education, and those affected by extraordinary events like natural disasters to exceed this limit. It also clarifies that absences due to a parent or sibling's medical condition do not count against the limit and expands the definition of extraordinary events to include mechanical breakdowns and extreme weather. Additionally, the bill updates procedures for holiday reimbursement and requires providers to notify families of absent day usage throughout the year.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands child care assistance exemptions for medical conditions, improving access to care for families with health needs85% confidence

Tags Children

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in committee · Minnesota · Senate Mar 11, 2026

SF 4324: Licensed child care centers and licensed family care governing policies and rules encodement and modernization provisions

This bill modernizes and updates the rules governing licensed child care centers and family child care programs in Minnesota. It directly affects child care providers, workers, and families by establishing new requirements for staff ratios, facility safety, health standards, record-keeping, and operational policies. The legislation creates new statutory chapters to organize these regulations and repeals outdated sections of existing child care laws. By updating definitions and operational standards, the bill aims to improve consistency and clarity in how child care facilities are regulated and operated.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill establishes new health standards, safety requirements, and operational policies for child care facilities, directly improving health protections for children and families.75% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill improves workplace safety and operational standards for child care workers through updated staff ratios and health requirements, strengthening worker protections.75% confidence

Tags Children

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