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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 McAlpin of the Minnesota Ambulance Association credited the scholarship with bringing new entrants into the paramedic pipeline, saying the awards attracted applicants aged 17 to 30 and increased the share of female paramedic students. "This has been one of the most impactful pieces of legislation to impact our workforce," McAlpin told the committee.
Dylan Ferguson, director of the Minnesota Office of Emergency Medical Services, presented workforce data and said paramedics are a small share of Minnesota's EMS workforce but are present on most ambulance responses. "Paramedics make up approximately 13% of Minnesota's EMS workforce with just shy of 4,100 available paramedics," Ferguson said, adding that paramedics were present on almost 85% of ambulance responses in calendar year 2024. Ferguson said certification issuance outpaced losses until about 2020; since 2021 the state has experienced a net deficit in paramedics. "In 2021 that trend reversed ... we lost 79 more paramedics than what we were able to issue new certifications for," he said. For 2024 Ferguson said the gap "grew to a 13," meaning the state lost more paramedics than it replaced (the witness used that phrasing in testimony).
Committee members pressed witnesses on causes and trends. Ferguson cited wages and benefits, employer culture, and mental-health burnout as the top drivers of workforce attrition and offered to share a formal report with members. Senator Duckworth, a volunteer firefighter, described local experience of uncertain ambulance response and said the state's paramedic shortage was "dire" and likely to worsen without policy changes and additional funding. Senator Clark asked whether retirements were the main driver and sought clarity about compensation and retention.
Witnesses and sponsors emphasized that the scholarship has early positive indicators: age distribution skewed younger, greater female participation in applicants and strong connections between scholarship recipients and ambulance employers that can lead to job placements after training. The Office of Higher Education and local ambulance services were credited with program outreach and recruitment.
After questions and discussion, the chair said Senate File 19-40 was laid over for further consideration.
The committee did not take a recorded vote on the measure during the hearing and no amendment was proposed on the record.
