ST. PAUL -- District 2A Rep. Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook has introduced a bill to fund the construction of a child and family services building for the Red Lake Nation.
According to a press release, Red Lake is planning to take over their child protection services, which is administered by the counties. However, no adequate structure exists on the reservation for those services.
Grossell's bill calls for $8.7 million from the state's general fund to be issued for the design, construction and setup of the new facility. The center will strengthen the Red Lake Nation's ability to control out of home placement of their children and help strengthen and heal families. It will also provide relief for Beltrami and surrounding counties, the release said.
"The proposed construction of this child and family services building for the Red Lake Nation is a big win all around," Grossell said in the release. "With the small investment this project would take, we can both alleviate burden from already stretched county resources and assist the Red Lake Nation in taking this next step to becoming an initiative tribe, something that the Red Lake Nation, Beltrami County and the state have been working to achieve."
Co-authors of the bill include Tony Albright, R-Prior Lake, Mary Murphy, DFL-Hermantown, Liz Olson, DFL-Duluth, John Persell, DFL-Bemidji and Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City. District 2 Sen. Paul Utke, R-Park Rapids also introduced a bill in the Legislature's other chamber.
