Committee advances bill to fund statewide emergency‑medicine career pathway; $300,000 appropriation recommended to jobs committee

The Senate Labor Committee on March 4 considered Senate File 15‑06, a measure from Senator Claire Nelson to fund a statewide emergency‑medicine career pathway for high‑school students through Houston Public Schools and Minnesota Virtual Academy. The bill directs $300,000 from the workforce development fund to the Houston Online School (School District 294) to deliver up to two semesters of coursework leading to eligibility for Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification.

“This is about a career pathways program in emergency medicine,” Senator Claire Nelson said. “This could reach all high school students all across the state.” Nelson described the appropriation and said classroom training would be provided virtually with hands‑on components delivered locally; the bill prioritizes outreach to students of color, Indigenous students, low‑income students, rural students and other underserved communities. The bill includes a reporting requirement on participation, spending, student experience and recommendations; the committee adopted an additional reporting item on the number of participants who sat for and passed national certification exams.

Mary Moran, superintendent of Houston Public Schools and Minnesota Virtual Academy, testified that her district piloted EMR training with volunteer local ambulance and fire personnel as hands‑on instructors. She said nine students took the class in the prior year and seven completed it; Houston now serves as a testing site and other districts have volunteered to host hands‑on testing.

Tom Fennell, regulatory officer for Mayo Clinic Ambulance and a representative of the Minnesota Ambulance Association, told the committee the ambulance industry is struggling to recruit and retain workers and called early exposure to EMR training “paramount to the success and the continued service that Minnesota EMS wants to provide.” Fennell said ambulance services across the state are interested in partnering to deliver hands‑on skills and local mentoring.

After discussion and adoption of author’s amendments and a reporting addition, Senator Ann Pappas moved that Senate File 15‑06, as amended, be recommended to pass and be re‑referred to the Committee on Jobs. The committee voice vote passed and the bill was re‑referred to Jobs.

Senator Nelson noted workforce data she cited in committee: “In 2021, nearly 3,000 more providers left the emergency medical services field in Minnesota than entered it,” and argued the program would create a direct pipeline from high school to EMR/EMT careers.

Sources: testimony by Senator Claire Nelson; Mary Moran, superintendent, Houston Public Schools and Minnesota Virtual Academy; Tom Fennell, regulatory officer, Mayo Clinic Ambulance / Minnesota Ambulance Association.