New name to highlight ‘Minnesota Family Resiliency Partnership’s’ inclusivity

Minnesota’s “displaced homemaker program” will be renamed the “Minnesota Family Resiliency Partnership ” to better reflect the program’s work.

Sponsored by Rep. Anne Claflin (DFL-South St. Paul) and Sen. Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake), the new law takes effect Aug. 1, 2020.

The newly renamed program helps people return to the work force or enter it for the first time, often after the loss of a family’s primary financial support due to a death, disability, divorce or other unexpected circumstances.

The change aims to highlight the program’s inclusivity and allow it to reach more families in need.

The new law will also modify the state’s pay-for-performance job training standards, which provide $11,000 grants to programs to reward them for student placement and job retention.

These modifications will:

• reduce the amount of money programs need to spend on each student;

• change the qualifying student wage from $9, or its equivalent with benefits, to the current state minimum wage;

• require the programs to provide training in financial and digital literacy and “soft skills” and remove required training in “thinking skills and personal qualities”;

• require that participants receive access to internships, technology training, personal and emotional intelligence skill development, and other support services;

• two years of coaching after placement; and

• limit income supplements for things like housing and counseling to $2,000 per participant.

The new law also raises the income limit for participants to 200% of the federal poverty guideline — from 100% — and only looks at their incomes six months prior to enrolling to determine eligibility.

HF4429*/SF3422/CH91

HF4429* / SF3422 / CH91