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Committee hears bill to expand Twin Cities RISE empowerment training to youth and employers
Summary
Sen. Mohamed introduced SF 2295 to fund Twin Cities RISE’s Empowerment Institute, proposing $500,000 in FY26 and $500,000 in FY27 from the workforce development fund to expand youth programming (ages 10–18), employer trainings, and services in St. Cloud and Rochester; committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion.
Sen. Mohamed introduced Senate File 2295 seeking funding to extend Twin Cities RISE’s Empowerment Institute programming to youth (ages 10–18), employers and underserved communities in Greater Minnesota.
The request: Fiscal staff said the bill proposes $500,000 in FY2026 and $500,000 in FY2027, both one-time allocations from the workforce development fund. Committee packet materials and testimony noted prior appropriations: Twin Cities RISE received $1,400,000 (workforce development fund) in 2022–23 and $2,400,000 (general fund) in 2024–25, both one-time.
Sponsor and program description: Sen. Mohamed said the Empowerment Institute provides personal empowerment and emotional intelligence workshops that Twin Cities RISE now seeks to pilot in schools, expand to youth ages 10–18 (broken into four age cohorts), and provide employer-facing training so workplaces better support new hires. "This program is not just about placements. It is about breaking cycles of poverty and empowering individuals," Twin Cities RISE President and CEO Emma Kory told the committee.
Outcomes and evidence: Testimony from a union partner, Steve Johnson of Laborers Local 563, described how the two-week empowerment training has been paired with pre-apprenticeship recruitment; he told the committee the program helped participants enter apprenticeships and that the number of participants in his program has grown from six to 22 in recent years. Twin Cities RISE said about 45 youth helped develop the youth curriculum; the organization plans to train teachers and partner staff to deliver the curriculum rather than deliver all youth sessions itself.
Questions and committee action: Committee members asked for clarity on prior funding, how the youth curriculum will be delivered and scaled, and concerns about overlap with K–12 education. The sponsor and Twin Cities RISE representatives said last year’s appropriation funded curriculum development and this request focuses on implementation and expansion. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion.
