Rural hospital maternity training competitive grant appropriation

A bill for an act

relating to workforce development; appropriating money for a rural hospital

maternity training competitive grant program; requiring reports.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.
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APPROPRIATION; RURAL HOSPITAL MATERNITY TRAINING

GRANTS.
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$....... in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the workforce development fund to the

commissioner of employment and economic development for a competitive grant program

to provide training to maintain maternity units in rural hospitals. Grants may be provided

to eligible rural hospitals and higher education institutions for developing and deploying

cross-training programs to provide medical personnel with the skills necessary for rural

maternity services. For purposes of this appropriation, "eligible rural hospital" means any

nonfederal, general acute care hospital located in a community with a population of less

than 30,000 according to United States Census bureau statistics, outside the seven-county

metropolitan area. By January 15, 2028, the commissioner must report to the chairs and

ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over workforce

development and hospitals detailing the use of grant money. The report must include the

amount awarded to each grantee, the number of staff trained, the occupation of staff trained,

feedback from grantees regarding the impact of the grant and how the grant program could

be improved, and the number and amount of grant requests not fulfilled. As a condition of

receiving a grant, a grantee must agree to provide the commissioner any information

necessary to complete the report required under this section. This is a onetime appropriation.

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