Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to improve water safety for youth in Minnesota by providing funding for swimming lessons and water safety education.

Main Provisions

• Appropriation of Funds: The bill allocates $250,000 from the arts and cultural heritage fund for the fiscal year 2026.

• Grant Program: These funds will be used to establish a grant program under the commissioner of education.

• Eligibility for Grants: Eligible applicants for the grants include nonprofit organizations and city and county parks and recreation programs. These organizations must offer swimming lessons to youth.

• Use of Grant Money:

  • The primary use of grant funds should be to offer scholarships to low-income and at-risk children, enabling them to take swimming lessons.
  • Up to 15% of the grant money may be used for hiring or training water safety instructors or lifeguards. This training should adhere to nationally recognized water safety practices.

Significant Changes

The bill does not introduce changes to existing laws but sets up new funding specifically targeted at enhancing water safety education among youth through structured financial support to relevant programs.

Relevant Terms

youth water safety, grant program, swimming lessons, scholarships, low-income, at-risk children, water safety instructors, lifeguards, nationally recognized practices, nonprofit organizations, parks and recreation programs, arts and cultural heritage fund.