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Senate hears expansion of workforce program for survivors; author says pilot produced 18 job placements
Summary
Sen. Andrew Putnam described a program that provides workforce services for people fleeing domestic abuse and trafficking, highlighting lessons from a pilot and a proposed expansion of services and funding to cover legal document replacement and wider geographic reach.
Sen. Andrew Putnam presented Senate File 2312 on March 24 to expand a workforce-development pilot that helps people fleeing domestic abuse and human trafficking obtain paid work and transitional supports.
Putnam said the pilot—funded in the prior session—helped 18 women obtain employment and that the request would expand geographic scope beyond Central Minnesota and add resources to help participants obtain identity documents and other records needed to secure jobs. "Part of the reason why we don't have testifiers is that we don't have a lobbyist. This came directly immediately from my community," Putnam said, describing early planning with local shelters.
Committee Chair Champion questioned whether some program elements—day care, housing, legal assistance—might fall outside the committee's jurisdiction or general workforce funding. Putnam replied the services in the proposal are targeted to enable employment (for example, temporary housing and document replacement) and include workforce elements such as soft-skills training and individualized employment plans.
There was general committee support for the concept, and several members urged the author to coordinate funding sources and jurisdictional responsibilities. The committee laid Senate File 2312 over for possible inclusion.
