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Senate panel weighs continuing paramedic scholarship program as state faces net loss of paramedics
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony supporting renewal of the paramedic scholarship program (Senate File 19-40). Witnesses said the $5,000 renewable scholarships are helping recruit new paramedics but the state still shows a net loss in certificated paramedics since 2021; the committee laid the bill over.
Senate File 19-40, carried by Sen. Koepcke, would continue the state's paramedic scholarship program. Sponsors and witnesses told a Senate committee the program has helped recruit new paramedics but that Minnesota faces an ongoing workforce shortfall, especially outside the Twin Cities.
Sen. Koepcke described the program as a two-year continuation of a scholarship established in the 2023 biennium. Testimony submitted by advocates said the program offers scholarships of $5,000 that are renewable once and that program managers requested $3.2 million this biennium; about $3 million of that request would go to direct scholarships. The program was reported to be able to provide up to 600 scholarships annually; in its first year the program provided scholarships to nearly 300 students.
Buck McA…
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