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Committee advances amended funding plan for Scitech internships; amendment shifts source to workforce fund
Summary
Senate File 21-12 would continue funding for the SciTech internship program that places STEM college students in paid internships at small Minnesota companies. The committee adopted an amendment moving the appropriation source from the general fund to the Workforce Development Fund and laid the bill on the table for possible inclusion.
Senate File 21‑12, carried by Senator Mohammed, would provide $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2027 to support the SciTech internship program, which places college students pursuing STEM degrees in paid, supervised internships at small businesses across Minnesota.
Committee testimony described the program's scale and outcomes. Jeff Tolleson, president of the Minnesota Technology Association, said SciTech has placed more than 3,000 interns since 2012 and that in 2024 "64 percent of those interns were women or people of color, and 25% of the internships took place in Greater Minnesota." Susan Allen, vice president of human resources at Monteris Medical, described hiring three interns from the program into R&D, clinical study, quality and manufacturing roles and said firms rely on the state wage reimbursement to make internships affordable.
Testimony and fiscal staff noted the program has historically been funded from the Workforce Development Fund. Senator Mohammed moved an amendment to change the appropriation source on the bill's page 1, line 7 from "general" to "workforce development." The committee counsel read the amendment and the body approved the amendment by voice vote (aye/no opposed not recorded on the roll). The bill as amended was then laid on the table for possible inclusion.
Fiscally, committee staff described the bill as proposing one‑time general‑fund language in its original draft but acknowledged past SciTech appropriations have come from both the general fund and the Workforce Development Fund. Testifiers urged use of the workforce fund for continuation of the program; Tolleson said the program provides a 50% wage match of up to $3,000 per internship to help small employers.
No roll‑call votes were recorded in the hearing transcript. Committee members asked clarifying questions and invited written material to be added to the record.
