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Senate panel advances $1 million proposal for nursing‑home worker training; amendment adopted
Summary
Senate File 15 18 would provide one‑time funds to certified worker organizations to train nursing‑home staff on rights established by the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. Senator Pappas moved and the committee adopted an amendment directing funds to the Commissioner of Labor and Industry; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion.
Senate File 15 18, sponsored by Sen. Nick Pappas and considered March 20 by the Senate Committee on Labor, would appropriate $1,000,000 in one‑time funds to support certified worker organizations that provide statutorily required training to nursing‑home staff about their rights under the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board.
Pappas said the board requires all nursing‑home workers receive one hour of training about board rights every two years and that the statute mandates training be delivered by a certified worker organization using a board‑approved curriculum; the bill funds the organizations conducting that training. “Workers need to really know their rights, and they need to know what their rights are,” Pappas said. He added the board has approved a sample curriculum and an application process for organizations to become certified trainers.
The bill included an author’s amendment (A2) to send the funding to the Commissioner of Labor and Industry rather than to the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. Senator Pappas moved adoption of the A2 amendment and the committee voice‑voted it adopted. Committee witnesses described the application and certification steps: the department expects roughly 10 certified worker organizations to apply and the board will maintain a list of organizations and audit employers for compliance. Travis Birth, a nursing‑home server who testified for SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa, described on‑the‑floor conditions and urged funding so nonunion workers learn how to enforce their rights.
Members discussed program oversight and reporting. Senator Gruenhagen and others asked whether grantees must report results (for example, number of workers trained) and how the $1,000,000 figure was derived; department staff said standard grant reporting requirements would apply and that the appropriation is an initial estimate to support statewide outreach and training. The committee laid the bill, as amended, over for possible inclusion.
Why it matters: The proposal funds outreach and training intended to increase awareness and enforceability of workforce standards in nursing homes; proponents argued that without funded training many workers would not know their rights and that legislative investment would help ensure appropriated dollars reach frontline staff.
