[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6652953,"mediaKeyId","2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60","parentId",2487041,"title","Bill would make $8 million for Centers for Independent Living permanent, authors say it saves state money","audioSeconds",1308,"startMs",3108000,"endMs",4416000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60&start=3108&end=4416","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60/thumbnail_3108000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6652953/Minnesota/Bill-would-make-8-million-for-Centers-for-Independent-Living-permanent-authors-say-it-saves-state-money","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6652953-56a5cb3a0c30ed91b18e0338b28d45b0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497745&Signature=EWcn9JY4accPc7I0lyftaniOOfUIoZVKaH2BDAVxcA0ucNJXbT7DVRaLUpKr-ieHWSgSoOKrF9QG-LJ85ZkTcDVLE6X5F3YDpk1YnCImj-OijbWhGKZzX~h6dFekXeYonA0fh-NmBAcbQWH5s3hPTAI8tbF-3YE4sbE8j3Bo1xOvO8qoG9yxPZny68dRAjV~gO26mmHfox3kEWHNz1bAgz815eXvgL8nV6ANF4LP2dVzQWIpD4m2nYdIy-0lfDsLOXkFu9KRCBEwj9Yw1n9iACPewc89NG9Q01cx5LI4P0UDCSata68NIyma4w3QcgHB0OuGa-s-LT6xPI8zHzVRBA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-03-04T17:53:10.31Z","article","Representative Paul Wolgamott introduced House File 13 26 on March 4, 2025, asking the committee to make permanent previous one‑time funding for the state’s eight Centers for Independent Living (CILs). Wolgamott described the centers as statutory nonprofits tasked with promoting independence, job skills and community living for people with disabilities.

Why it matters: sponsors and witnesses said CILs provide services that reduce reliance on costly institutional care, help people return to or remain in community housing and support employment, which they said generates large budgetary savings.

Wolgamott told the committee the bill “provides the centers with their original base funding from the last budget cycle of $3,011,000 each year, plus the $4,000,001 one‑time dollars that were allocated each year from the last biennium to be made permanent.” Jesse Bethke Gomez, executive director of Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL), described federal and state oversight and said centers serve people statewide; he said the centers’ work had helped 1,655 individuals move from or avoid long‑term care institutions in the last budget cycle and that the cost savings for those cases would range from $106 million to $254 million.

Two clients shared personal testimony. Carol LaFleur described long episodes of institutional care and homelessness and told the committee the Metropolitan CIL helped her return to education, complete law enforcement training and become employed by Metro Transit Police Department, allowing her to “pay it forward” in outreach work. John Schneider described being homeless after military service, receiving case management and housing assistance from Access North (a CIL), obtaining housing, education and civic leadership roles, and said the center helped him “break that overwhelming mountain down into small manageable steps.”

Representative Lee Pinto asked the committee fiscal analyst to confirm the current base budget; the analyst responded that the base budget for the 2026–27 biennium is $6 million. Pinto and Wolgamott discussed how the bill would affect base funding and one‑time allocations; members praised the centers’ results and urged continued funding consideration during budget negotiations.

Action taken: the committee laid House File 13 26 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus budget; no final appropriation was adopted during this hearing.

Next steps: sponsors will continue to work with fiscal staff and committee members as the budget process continues; members cited the centers’ oversight structures and client outcomes as reasons to consider making funding permanent.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee 3/4/25","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Paul Wolgamott introduced House File 13 26 on March 4, 2025, asking the committee to make permanent previous one‑time funding for the state’s eight Centers for Independent Living (CILs).","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6652957,"Urban League Twin Cities requests $400,000-a-year workforce funds to expand training tracks",2043,2381000,4424000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60&start=2381&end=4424","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60/thumbnail_2381000.jpg","/articles/6652957/Minnesota/Urban-League-Twin-Cities-requests-400000-a-year-workforce-funds-to-expand-training-tracks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6652957-b9fb1cc46ffe6a83b47317eb9a990996/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497745&Signature=SHSLreuIVJmMb8ltCyvX-1t4fnnBgmjdLEQK3Dn74BoGR~WfRkrsTFYd1dILM3mqRf7LiB7cA2~vXoeFMvtFjz1UOlxjcpkQ-1t4PmRhDfuAoPDedzGA773bMoPBXynKkShBnjLzh4TZPobAy3Suv3KeSDJoOW9WdPxT2a-a3YqP4k71vD6r~Nz3Yy~rZpkaGvFXzCNACrPx41FMVGVZc9nM72ix49Ceeaj3DlXPwqbM5J4Wscoi35w4Vc~t3Z5FyOfDv~Y~dzj16BlFcbJve8V3p~v62jLH2vZnP3VBxpYDqYC3fVwk5xJ0j7qgiul-BZ9mn6VT0LYpr-k7Cr~2Zg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Abbaje introduced House File 498 to the House Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on March 4, 2025, requesting workforce-appropriation support for Urban League Twin Cities to expand industry-specific training tracks in information technology, healthcare, construction and renewable energy.

Why it matters: witnesses said the Urban League has a long local history and that targeted industry training can help family stabilization and connect residents to living-wage careers.

Joy Jones, workforce director at Urban League Twin Cities, described a request for $400,000 each year over the next two years to support focused industry tracks and to scale existing job‑skills services. She said the Urban League serves all clients and aims to create career pathways that can support family stability and community well‑being.

Client witness Willie Williams described how Urban League training opened doors to masonry and other construction work, walking the committee through a short training sequence and the on‑the‑job expectations that prepared him for employment. Representative Lee Pinto and other committee members praised the organization’s work and urged sponsors to consider how programs will fare in the broader shift toward competitive grants during budget negotiations; Pinto advised early conversations to ensure that community‑based organizations are not disadvantaged by grant processes.

Action taken: the committee laid House File 498 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus budget; no final appropriation was adopted during this hearing.

Next steps: sponsors and committee members indicated they would continue discussions about funding administration and the budget process to preserve support for community organizations.","House File 498 would provide $400,000 per year over two years to Urban League Twin Cities to expand training in IT, healthcare, construction and green energy; committee members discussed competitive grant administration and laid the bill over for possible inclusion.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6652962,"Lawmakers review $750,000-a-year request for Carts2Careers grocer workforce program",1228,1111000,2339000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60&start=1111&end=2339","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60/thumbnail_1111000.jpg","/articles/6652962/Minnesota/Lawmakers-review-750000-a-year-request-for-Carts2Careers-grocer-workforce-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6652962-a927dd686344ccae5d76f736a1565d63/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497745&Signature=CiI-9emGJw9iMXYhyC4lILisKxkxp8LkSDqiI5cyDzd0O8mGtVmPc-aSz5qi44LyQKBS01hHHaEFP7DXDXdrHTR-R793IpBdW8~ekbrpnkyYI0L-smbdgpppLuApwpSe1Y00UXCWIgi5gKhZwDVr2wzPyDq4xBIlXIUV-P5br37WGeifCCXFGzs4RYdb8cmrvqa9~1zm5wkBFgM34sQS6d4NxrWbzNfcPnEaP3dFekfQ0Mugjq4xkrX9fEsL9qcxXyGYJoXwhbVegHJierymsfVAGbr1tueZeq1ewNKH4DoAW5aXsgImY-kRtDyVP5GrNX0HYTUbB3gKwEvfeq3Pag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Ben Bateberg introduced House File 1439 on March 4, 2025, asking the committee to continue funding the Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA) Foundation’s Carts2Careers workforce program with a $750,000-per-year appropriation from the Workforce Development Fund.

Why it matters: witnesses and the bill sponsor said Carts2Careers provides industry-focused training, certificate pathways and recruitment supports designed to supply the food retail and supply chain sector with workers and opportunities for career advancement.

Steve Bartle, director of government relations for the Minnesota Grocers Association, described Carts2Careers as a multi‑pronged, employer‑matched program that has operated with DEED since 2019. Bartle told the committee the program’s retail management certificate is an eight-course, two‑year online program developed with Alexandria Technical and Community College; it offers transferable credits and aims to produce retail managers from frontline employees. He said the program also now includes a transportation and driving course for warehouse employees seeking a CDL and partnerships to use meat‑cutting programs to address shortages.

Bartle requested $750,000 per year, saying the funds would support training, certification and other development activities and that employer matching is required to leverage state dollars. He said the program expects about 100 retail management certificate graduates statewide next year and that Carts2Careers has expanded to help employers hire workers with disabilities and individuals reentering the workforce after incarceration.

Two program graduates gave testimony. Kendra Nathie testified she completed the retail management program in 2021 while working full time and said the communication class helped her move from cashier to shift manager to department manager; she is now an assistant store manager. Andrew Acapone described using program partnerships to pursue higher education and to develop in‑store nutrition programming with a corporate partner.

Committee members sought changes and raised concerns. Representative Kayla Berg asked whether program participants should be required to receive “family‑sustaining wages and health care” and whether the author would be amenable to language requiring such standards; Bartle said the association was “open to the conversation” but worried about excluding part‑time workers who might not receive full benefits through collective bargaining agreements. Representative Pinto and others noted a letter from UFCW in the packet asking that funded employers provide family‑sustaining jobs and have no history of labor violations; Pinto urged early conversations about whether the appropriation should be administered through competitive grants rather than direct appropriations. Bartle said the bill’s language was intended to provide flexibility to use funds beyond the original retail management certificate to cover other training and development costs.

Action taken: the committee laid House File 1439 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus budget; no final appropriation was adopted during this hearing.

Next steps: sponsors and stakeholders indicated willingness to discuss eligibility and wage/benefit language as they prepare for the budget process.","House File 1439 would appropriate $750,000 per year from the workforce development fund to the Minnesota Grocers Association Foundation’s Carts2Careers initiative to expand workforce training and recruiting; committee members raised wage and grant-structure questions and laid the bill over for possible inclusion.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6652967,"Committee hears bill to expand Helmets to Hardhats veteran-to-trades program",965,57000,1022000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60&start=57&end=1022","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2487041-ae814b673f3dc54dd6c0a984d2d7ae60/thumbnail_57000.jpg","/articles/6652967/Minnesota/Committee-hears-bill-to-expand-Helmets-to-Hardhats-veteran-to-trades-program","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6652967-e91eb6bf6831f90347d36d4114c78ce8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770497745&Signature=I-UuY6EnK1nEgZ2wTdg3rEXOwFYGt8BudDMz7wpU1ZaN8-Ue6qJTHeom~-DPbTvWSmKXnoy1JudmVc~5pj-u9z5SSHS7s-hy8SEFJhVB6B8tCzNPYB2gxMxkqeHW4U3HY1l2Ec8ttEME4HWkugqqiu-eCRoFWzeyVqAdg625KXJXTVYoGYyueAJqTWNrB53QxOoP7lArFGLO3DqzUmHb3om8z2mbG9nmclfWMYmNYDjy6Bi~vpxM2UQDSeHI5f7pmSOEX77-~PKRZX52VVszWTqFvWNr8hetfIji~DnLUziWeyiEAp4qHX~jexAO7UgfEu-rOnneBl7ONh7b3qfhyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Tom Sexton introduced House File 1004 to the House Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on March 4, 2025, presenting a bipartisan bill that would support the Minnesota Helmets to Hardhats program and its work connecting veterans to construction and trade careers.

Why it matters: committee members and witnesses said the program helps transition veterans into stable, well-paid careers through registered apprenticeship pathways, potentially addressing both veteran unemployment and industry labor shortages.

Representative Sexton, who identified his House District as 19B and discussed his military and construction-industry background, said the bill has strong bipartisan support and 21 coauthors. He described Helmets to Hardhats as an organization that “leverages the very experienced workforce, our veterans, who just need some learn some new skill sets,” and thanked colleagues who previously carried the measure.

Steven Stengel, an Army National Guard veteran and current carpenters apprentice, told the committee that apprenticeship “is what I'm in now. I'm in my fourth year,” and said programs like Helmets to Hardhats “have helped a lot of my fellow brothers and sisters.” Justin Ross, director of the Minnesota Helmets to Hardhats program and a Marine veteran, described how the program brokers connections between service members and registered apprenticeship programs and training centers. Ross said registered apprenticeship “is the best way for these service members to go,” and provided the committee with program counts: 278 veterans signed up in 2024 to receive regional information and application assistance, and the state program has enrolled more than 1,500 service members since its start. Ross told lawmakers the program helped roughly 40–47 veterans in the most recent tracking period and that participants often start with wages in the $50,000–$60,000 range and can exceed $100,000 after completing apprenticeship.

Members of the committee offered support and sought technical and budgetary guidance. Representative Lee Pinto flagged a procedural question about whether the bill had been formally moved before the committee; the chair confirmed the bill would be laid over for possible inclusion. Representative Berg expressed appreciation for the program and said she would “always sign on to this bill.” Representative Pinto and others also encouraged the author and program to consider whether funding would be better structured as a competitive grant in a future budget process rather than a direct appropriation, to ensure broader oversight and access to multiple organizations or delivery partners.

Action taken: the committee laid House File 1004 over for possible inclusion in the omnibus budget; no final appropriation was adopted during this hearing.

Next steps: sponsors and the program will continue to work with committee members and budget staff on funding language and delivery options ahead of the upcoming budget negotiations.","Lawmakers heard testimony March 4 on House File 1004, which would support Helmets to Hardhats, a program connecting veterans to registered apprenticeship and construction careers; lawmakers laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the budget.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bill would make $8 million for Centers for Independent Living permanent, authors say it saves state money

Urban League Twin Cities requests $400,000-a-year workforce funds to expand training tracks

Lawmakers review $750,000-a-year request for Carts2Careers grocer workforce program

Committee hears bill to expand Helmets to Hardhats veteran-to-trades program