Committee lays multiple bills on table for possible inclusion, including energy transition, workforce and community programs

The Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee on April 2 received short presentations on a series of bills that the committee laid on the table for possible inclusion in the committee’s omnibus package. Committee members heard fiscal overviews and two‑minute testimonies from sponsors and local officials. The following is a summary of each bill presented and the action recorded in the transcript.

Votes at a glance (bills presented and committee action)

- Senate File 2570 — Community Energy Transition grant program (sponsor: Senator Hochschild). Appropriation requested: $10,000,000 from the general fund for FY2026 to the Department of Employment and Economic Development for community energy transition grants. Testimony cited communities affected by coal plant retirements and leveraged local match; bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion.

- Senate File 2948 — 1 Community Alliance workforce funding (sponsor: Senator Putnam). Appropriation requested: $600,000 in FY2026 from the workforce development fund for 1 Community Alliance to expand employer‑facing and job‑readiness programs in Central Minnesota; bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion.

- Senate File 2949 — Ambassadors of Culture and United Way partnership (sponsor: Senator Putnam). Appropriation requested: $450,000 in FY2026 and $450,000 in FY2027 from the workforce development fund to support culturally responsive job‑readiness and intergenerational mentorship programs with United Way and community partners; bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion.

- Senate File 1798 — Neighborhood Development Center (sponsor: Senator Hur). Appropriation requested: $2,250,000 in FY2026 for the Neighborhood Development Center to support entrepreneur training, lending and technical assistance across Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota; bill was laid over for possible inclusion.

- Senate File 3085 — Rural Cancer Institute pilot (sponsor: Senator Dreheim). Appropriation requested: $300,000 FY26 and $300,000 FY27 (biannual total $600,000) to expand oncology training and rural placements; bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion and is summarized in a separate article.

- Senate File 3177 — Explore Minnesota statutory update (sponsor: Senator Mohammed). No direct appropriation proposed in committee; bill would update statutory language to reflect Explore Minnesota’s expanded mission, including economic development and film; bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion as amended.

- Senate File 2500 — Somali American Youth Enrichment Club (sponsor: Senator Mohammed). Appropriation requested: $100,000 one‑time FY2026 to support culturally responsive youth programming in the Twin Cities; bill was laid on the table for possible inclusion.

- Senate File 2426 — Mad Dads Minneapolis workforce development (sponsor: Senator Champion). Appropriation requested: $400,000 in FY2026 from the general fund to support a Mad Dads youth workforce program for ages 16–24; bill was laid over for possible inclusion.

- Senate File 2828 — (testimony from Mary C. Turner supporting ISROOM and asking for support for Senate File 2828). Testimony urged that the nonprofit help underserved immigrant entrepreneurs; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion.

What the committee recorded and next steps

For the majority of these items the transcript records procedural action — the chair or committee clerk announced each bill would be “laid on the table for possible inclusion” or “laid over for possible inclusion.” The transcript does not show a roll‑call or recorded vote; the committee’s clerk will incorporate bill language and fiscal notes into the committee package as the chair directs. Several sponsors and testifiers offered to provide follow‑up materials, local cost‑share details and program examples to the committee record.

Ending

Committee members repeatedly noted limited time remaining in session and encouraged sponsors to provide summaries, partnership letters and implementation details for staff review. All bills above were recorded on the transcript as tabled/laid over for possible inclusion.