Safe Passage for Children will support several bills during the 2019 Minnesota legislative session, starting with the Great Start for Minnesota Children Act, House File (HF) 1.
HF 1 has potentially the most far-reaching impact for children of any 2019 legislation. It greatly expands services proven to reduce child maltreatment, hence the number of families who get into child protection. It includes:
- $5 million to reduce racial disparities in prenatal care
- $56.6 million by 2022 to expand home visiting services, including a 25% set-aside for communities that evidence-based programs aren’t reaching
- Making early learning scholarships available to all financially eligible children – and prioritizing the critical developmental ages of birth to three
We will be asking our Advocates and Friends to support this bill with emails and visits to their legislators.