Help for hiring minorities

The recession has been especially difficult for the state’s minority communities. Rep. Joe Mullery (DFL-Mpls) is hoping to fund a new program to help reduce their disproportionately high unemployment rate.

He sponsors HF645 that would direct the Department of Employment and Economic Development to work with the state’s minority councils on a plan to assist with job training, licensing and placement of individuals from minority communities in appropriate jobs.

The House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee laid the bill over March 15 for possible inclusion in its omnibus finance bill. There is no Senate companion.

Mullery said the idea for the bill came from three of the state’s four minority councils: the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, the Council on Black Minnesotans and the Chicano Latino Affairs Council.

“The purpose is to get people trained and into jobs,” he said.

To fund the program, the bill would appropriate money from the state’s Workforce Development Fund, which derives from a special payroll tax. Mullery said no amount has been settled on yet for the appropriation, but Hector Garcia, executive director of the Chicano Latino Affairs Council, said they are hoping for $1 million.

Rep. Bev Scalze (DFL-Little Canada) questioned whether the Workforce Development Fund would be an appropriate source of funding. She said it might be better financed through the General Fund.

“It’s just a theoretical, philosophic discussion that we should have,” Scalze said.

Emma Corrie, workforce and business development project manager for the Department of Transportation said MnDOT has been making efforts to hire from minority communities, but needs help recruiting qualified workers.

“We can’t do all the training and development in-house. We need to partner with credible organizations that have deep roots in the community that can bring the right candidates to us,” she said.