[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-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",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_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",6033536,"mediaKeyId","5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333","parentId",5364828,"title","Committee hears broad support for teacher apprenticeship model and statewide coordination","audioSeconds",692,"startMs",5277000,"endMs",5969000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333&start=5277&end=5969","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333/thumbnail_5277000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6033536/Minnesota/Committee-hears-broad-support-for-teacher-apprenticeship-model-and-statewide-coordination","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6033536-f37bf801fcc1026cb19a80ce9ffa0b21/orig.mp4?Expires=1770916136&Signature=Hybyn1KiZF~suw1OzRyM94SldkNMG0qv8oR5tdIQYpFjqsH~RcmWzdXvtJHB1eWAfpmkTdsE7sjSqPEluU5vuWCfiSCZQm02IYsiKfzZ7FX39rMZHA1Le2bZmyRj0~cr9yiaS9LTDsa3coNVINRBGkeOZBxGefg4F5tdm7FjnHdsiuqeFh4wALWbHdfHFzAQc6YWBRcIqgorEdtId-o7AmAYr6vfD62sABMhG4ylZBPy2pywgB8zHa2A38F6ZEriN4b07LvRy2x0rMBeK4iPemlxwQJhQH3KHjkmu7u7WeG~OoRLZfrwKnT7GSMsMqPyW1PcNV-Lwor-lr65zHVoEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee","date","2025-03-27T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Jennifer Mueller brought House File 15 38 to the Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on March 27 to establish a framework for teacher registered apprenticeships and a statewide joint apprenticeship training committee (JATC).

Mueller said teacher apprenticeships provide a nontraditional pathway for paraprofessionals and other school employees to earn licensure while remaining employed: \"We do not simply have enough people in our pipeline to look at education, and we are needing to have many people from many different backgrounds join our schools,\" Mueller said. She described registered apprenticeship as a model used in other states and stressed the importance of local partnerships and a JATC structure that balances employer and employee representation.

Supporters included Education Minnesota, representatives from the University of St. Thomas, Mankato State (Minnesota State University, Mankato), Brightworks Educational Co. (multi-employer sponsor), the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), and several intermediate districts and school superintendents. Caitlin Snyder of Education Minnesota said the union supports a statewide, competitive approach but objected to a single cooperative acting as fiscal host in the bill’s then-current amendment; she emphasized concerns about collective bargaining protections and local contract differences.

University of St. Thomas representatives described planning an undergraduate registered apprenticeship program to remove financial and access barriers for paraprofessionals and working adults. St. Thomas reported 95 staff from Saint Paul Public Schools had expressed interest in an undergraduate pathway.

Gina Boots, teacher and apprenticeship liaison for Brightworks, described her organization’s JATC governance model and said Brightworks expects multiple districts, university partners and licensure areas in the fall cohort. Erin Larson, Director of Apprenticeship at DLI, offered technical comments: DLI supported registered teacher apprenticeships and the governor’s budget request but recommended streamlining bill language to reference existing apprenticeship statute (Minnesota Statutes chapter 178) rather than restating statutory programmatic requirements that are already covered by apprenticeship law.

Other presenters—representatives from Minnesota State Mankato and the University of Minnesota campuses—described local dual-licensure pilots (for example autism spectrum disorders and emotional/behavior disorders), job-embedded learning models and the governance role of local JATCs. Northeast Metro superintendent Valerie Bowe described a cohort of 21 apprentices in a two-year, job-embedded program leading to bachelor’s completion and dual licensure in specialized special education areas.

Committee action: Representative Mueller moved and members adopted the author’s DE3 amendment by voice vote before the committee laid the bill over for further consideration. Members asked staff and sponsors for follow-up documentation and for technical coordination with DLI on statutory language.

What’s next: The committee will consider the bill in future hearings and sponsors and DLI indicated they will refine statutory language so the grant and JATC structure align with existing apprenticeship law and local collective bargaining frameworks.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Minnesota House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee March 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Jennifer Mueller presented House File 15 38 to create and coordinate registered teacher apprenticeships; education unions, universities, intermediates and the Department of Labor and Industry testified in favor while DLI recommended technical adjustments to align the bill with apprenticeship statute.","taxTitle","Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Minnesota","taxId",80487,"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},6033541,"Lawmakers hear testimony for Representative Hicks’ bill to plug VRS budget gap",395,4264000,4659000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333&start=4264&end=4659","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333/thumbnail_4264000.jpg","/articles/6033541/Minnesota/Lawmakers-hear-testimony-for-Representative-Hicks-bill-to-plug-VRS-budget-gap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6033541-c5141308589c918a9d0852860e47dd3a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770916136&Signature=hO8qPNkT7GlZAXzghf1gsvTh5F1Gm0Zqw5eungDgRTN-9WsmXiPiPUcmUnQC2FNpzFrilv~rh9zVMpGOT5r2ymURlqjSThAux7q68VUKop6w26K0Be-ISCt018PyfSC8tLA68IptlVoMcQAhCpTgM8eMK0nCQjk1pApsoUmR0M6M0PCf9kTm6PKKxbKW~QugX7PDdPp26WJHq9xgCM9CVSQbgdk~BBidIbqRST8LEhhJyCueCyO8pcUCTobAsU5F7LpdxasEXs4rjak4HI1CQr7LJ8uv2NmZxM67I-tshhDVhhJSr2zJ5C~PBltJSqK9YAAstMdmDrCa-xldqVdoPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Hicks introduced House File 28 38 to the Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on March 27 as legislation aimed at \"plugging the hole\" in Vocational Rehabilitation Services funding. Hicks framed the bill as an attempt to preserve services that support employment for Minnesotans with disabilities.

Hicks said VRS enables people with disabilities to obtain competitive integrated employment and that proposed cuts would harm clients, employers and communities. \"Voc rehab is a good thing. It is a proactive service that benefits people with disabilities in our communities,\" Representative Tina Hicks said, urging lawmakers to find money in the budget to avert service reductions.

Multiple VRS staff and counselors testified in support of the bill. MAPE union members described staffing and caseload impacts: Renata Schultz, a vocational rehabilitation counselor in North Minneapolis, said the Ticket to Work component helps beneficiaries explore employment without immediately losing benefits and cited a $61 million federal savings the State received from 2021 to 2023 related to returned-to-work outcomes. Chandra Peterson, a career counselor who serves deaf Minnesotans across southern Minnesota, said staff had been told of budget concerns in an October 2024 all-staff meeting and that the program had begun offering early retirement and other measures; she said more than 30 staff had already taken early retirement or had positions eliminated.

Sheena Jewison, a rehabilitation counselor who recently left VRS for another state position, said her departure left roughly 70 youth without a dedicated counselor and described caseloads that can be 70 to 100 clients per counselor. \"With existing caseloads already at capacity, it is unrealistic to expect remaining staff to absorb these cases without significant consequences like decreased quality of services and delayed responsiveness,\" Jewison said.

Members thanked testifiers and signaled support for exploring funding options. Vice Chair Mecklen and other members noted VRS services are provided statewide and are critical in many districts. Representative Hicks asked the committee to hold the bill for further consideration. The committee laid House File 28 38 over for later consideration.","Representative Tina Hicks introduced House File 2838 to seek funding to shore up Vocational Rehabilitation Services; counselors, union representatives and program staff testified about caseloads, potential layoffs and the impact on services for Minnesotans with disabilities.",{"_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},6033546,"DEED outlines pressure on Vocational Rehabilitation Services as members press for clarity",714,1087000,1801000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333&start=1087&end=1801","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333/thumbnail_1087000.jpg","/articles/6033546/Minnesota/DEED-outlines-pressure-on-Vocational-Rehabilitation-Services-as-members-press-for-clarity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6033546-455a253c56dee74f5f618da03f8fdc11/orig.mp4?Expires=1770916136&Signature=Hc6PRr2ksC2XbheX2ljsT-hEkYvaiclgAUHBAoEbWn5jhOvV9yHmHEdj-KpkyKxUqXGiEbPdbGi9ZV37-M-gZ8tNMNrR7cga2vY8PVtho3ZSeJMBFYLNi5jgGQM64SL1EgfqFjXThT2MMo203onchS95cM~QePj28PDkZAv4HHqJsGuLwAB8qFjYIvKetpRrtE7YWCsMHq5BaJbMOTix8Zkk-Q-tLh2XJui8SwU4Xhu~MPKXK7Yo-fBje0sc-Uo~ZUxxR8QRoWrvYIcabST~LvMBB06DGzFxggBEo1xI9YOUGmd85MnoTHhh00VLYd~ySjwDOUN9Bq5R1EWMXjQyCw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deputy Commissioner Evan Roe of the Department of Employment and Economic Development gave a detailed briefing to the Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on March 27 about financial pressures affecting Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS).

Roe described VRS as a federal–state partnership that helps Minnesotans with disabilities prepare for, find and keep competitive integrated employment. He said approximately 80% of VRS funding comes through a U.S. Department of Education grant and roughly 20% is state match. \"VRS is a federal state partnership with most of the funding coming through a federal grant,\" Roe told the committee.

Roe summarized several drivers of the program’s budget stress: flat federal base grants, a negative outlook for reallotment funding that previously supplemented VRS, growing case-service costs as providers serve more complex client needs, higher unit staff costs, increased applications (Roe said applications have risen about 50% annually since 2020) and spending tied to Pre-Employment Transition Services that federal rules require.

Roe said the department has taken internal steps including a hiring freeze, early-retirement incentives, and more scrutiny of external contracts to manage the gap. He also noted that the governor’s revised budget proposes roughly $5 million in additional state match funding to stabilize VRS operations.

Committee members pressed for specifics about timing and ownership of the shortfall. Chair Baker and members said they had expected earlier alerts and raised concerns about hiring and staff increases in 2024. Representative Frazier and Representative Mueller emphasized federal uncertainty; Representative Frazier said the missing element was \"certainty\" from the federal outlook, and Representative Mueller argued the program retained its base federal funding and that reallotment was not a reliable revenue source to count on.

Members also discussed downstream programs and appropriations, including Individual Placement and Support (IPS), which the governor proposed reducing; members expressed concern about abrupt changes and the effects on students and providers. Roe acknowledged the evolving federal context and said DEED would continue monitoring federal guidance and managing expenditures while working with stakeholders and the state rehabilitation council to preserve access.

No final budget decision was made during the presentation. Roe said the department would provide follow-up numbers; members asked for clearer timelines and the precise projected deficit. Roe said initial signs emerged in summer 2024, with more definitive projections in the fall and early 2025, and that the department’s projections had produced a significant shortfall that was being managed down through internal measures and the governor’s supplemental proposal.

What’s next: Members requested follow-up material, including the department’s reports and the IPS report referenced during the hearing, and asked staff to circulate documents to committee members ahead of forthcoming budget deliberations.","Deputy Commissioner Evan Roe presented Vocational Rehabilitation Services funding trends and program pressures to the committee; members raised concerns about timing, hiring, and contingency planning after DEED described a projected shortfall and changes to federal funding outlook.",{"_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},6033550,"Committee reviews technical DEED policy bill that allows commissioner designee and sunsets reports",133,865000,998000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333&start=865&end=998","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333/thumbnail_865000.jpg","/articles/6033550/Minnesota/Committee-reviews-technical-DEED-policy-bill-that-allows-commissioner-designee-and-sunsets-reports","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6033550-a20941f8ab8e9afe537b869479b772a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770916136&Signature=Z5Arzrhm6s4-~CUS6bl7lsXrXPd2wckAaIP5YgnwFM8FGtdaV2U9cMyauwCCwAkfJLF~Kmts9~bpBTd5ykF2-nQloj43i5tXMyQNndM~7MU3j3xy2BBR2IKHyBcBxvML0uAyfi2YZd2euvJv9kA1IdceanepzB2L~~l5dSO6mk9OIZFvMxmn-FN6PdEVFcSUdhwY~fvaJRabnj~9oVkU4i7Sj~3E1ojhlTvArVa9UYyUC~uN6hiKNIA7r7dB4FwOF8Hx-DL9QVz2SYG~Ei~zs7mCaWfA21~PTx~p8FE~iPGrbr1-Q2bBG~OSRc0l0RykXaR6ocJQxI2nzSGAVOX-hw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee heard a departmental presentation on House File 22 51 on March 27. Devon Bowdrey, identified as government relations director, described the bill as a straightforward, section-by-section set of technical changes to statute.

Bowdrey told the committee the bill would permit the DEED commissioner to send a designee to sit on the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board, aligning that board with other statutes that allow designees. Sections 2 and 3 would sunset the Inventory of Economic Development Programs and the net impact report, which DEED described as duplicative of other metrics the agency already collects. Sections 4 and 5 update statutory language to replace references to \"stands and machines\" with the federal-preferred term \"facility\" in statutes governing State Services for the Blind.

Why it matters: DEED said the changes reduce duplication and administrative cost and align state statute with federal terminology. The bill does not propose substantive programmatic changes, DEED staff said.

Bowdrey summarized: \"On this section we are just proposing that the commissioner be allowed to have a designee sit on this board,\" and later described the sunsetting as a move to avoid duplication and expense.

Committee members asked few substantive questions and did not object to laying the bill over. No recorded roll-call vote occurred; the committee laid House File 22 51 over for further consideration.","The committee heard Department of Employment and Economic Development staff explain House File 2251, a technical-policy bill that would allow a commissioner designee on the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board, sunset two DEED reports, and update statutory language to conform to federal terms for facilities serving the blind.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6033558,"Lawmakers hear testimony to preserve small-business assistance partnership funding",346,98000,444000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333&start=98&end=444","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5364828-ab459a4685d458c7914bbb34947ce333/thumbnail_98000.jpg","/articles/6033558/Minnesota/Lawmakers-hear-testimony-to-preserve-small-business-assistance-partnership-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6033558-d0e5373949ff2eccd4c0fb58524fadae/orig.mp4?Expires=1770916136&Signature=QehppcrcEPjHBc6nvH28sjbSgn8TqB6DOUT1mExJjVPEqqXySKixcbpQ9CK8uC~aUPMs5gTg4R1Jlgeiz7opWIcYdO~vsIgS-QYB6FIDe~HZW-WXzg-AiJuH~d6FjiqJ1n2MLNuPRv89P1AXvWwakRc5nIpm8saMchITUONGOfgFpkV1w~OqO6OTny3yQjwLRvkm3~4a1tXnw3p-JEx5HomT4NV8plGUrwdZoOXf-N3JH4hTjqDGhmNbfR7xnQLUBzNXtIxISSmp2DUDi8Ok5fiwu~8dpzUTjVJFfzYGBTQYS1lZpJoSjTRvF-m2ld6Xr0H0k8tfA0W4yhuT~-V9dg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Wayne Johnson asked the Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on March 27 to hold House File 19 65, a bill that would maintain the 2023 funding level for the Small Business Assistance Partnership program administered by the Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The measure would continue one-time funding for nonprofit economic development organizations and community development financial institutions that contract with DEED to provide free technical assistance to entrepreneurs. \"One of the keys of successful business is the access to capital, but also access to the people who know how to help you with that capital,\" Representative Wayne Johnson said, arguing that advisors can make the difference between a business succeeding or failing.

Why it matters: Small businesses employ nearly half the state’s workforce and provide local economic activity, lawmakers and witnesses said. Maintaining the grant-level funding, sponsors argue, preserves a competitive distribution model that reaches both Greater Minnesota and metro regions and requires grantees to report metrics to DEED.

Michelle Morozki, interim executive director and business development manager for Kandiyohi County Economic Development, told the committee the program supports the Elevate Community Business Academy and other local partnerships. \"Since 2021 Elevate CBA has helped over 100 Kandiyohi County entrepreneurs graduate from a 12-week business development course leading to more than 35 new small businesses in Kandiyohi County,\" Morozki said, and asked the committee to maintain funding at the 2023 level with a $7.4 million one-time investment.

Meredith Chagania, owner of Patients and Bubbles Childcare, described using the program’s technical assistance to open a childcare center that serves infants, toddlers and preschoolers including children with developmental disabilities. \"The resources from the Small Business Assistance Partnership program helped me grow my business, to build wealth for me and my family,\" Chagania told the committee.

Lee Hall, founder and CEO of Next Stage, and a representative of the Economic Development Association of Minnesota’s government relations committee, said steady funding preserves newly built provider capacity and helps ensure organizations that serve underserved communities do not disappear with a funding drop.

The committee took testimony and held the bill for further consideration. No formal substantive amendments or final funding decisions were made in this hearing.

Committee context: Chair Baker noted the agenda was full and that this item was moved up to accommodate testifiers. The committee limited public testimony to about two to two-and-a-half minutes per witness because multiple bills were scheduled for the hearing.

What’s next: House File 19 65 was held over for future consideration; proponents urged lawmakers to include funding in the committee’s budget work to preserve the program’s statewide reach.","Representative Wayne Johnson asked the Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee to hold House File 1965 to maintain 2023 funding levels for the Small Business Assistance Partnership program; testifiers from county and nonprofit development organizations described outcomes and local demand.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears broad support for teacher apprenticeship model and statewide coordination

Lawmakers hear testimony for Representative Hicks’ bill to plug VRS budget gap

DEED outlines pressure on Vocational Rehabilitation Services as members press for clarity

Committee reviews technical DEED policy bill that allows commissioner designee and sunsets reports

Lawmakers hear testimony to preserve small-business assistance partnership funding