St. Paul, MN – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the compromise Jobs, Economic Development, and Labor budget, following a bipartisan agreement reached with the Senate. The budget delivers resources for workers, families, and small businesses to recover from an incredibly challenging year. Included in the budget are funds to create a training program at Winona State University and Minnesota State College Southeast for teachers to be licensed and work in career and technical education, which was authored by State Representative Gene Pelowski (DFL - Winona).
“The funding for the technical education training program is a direct product of the conversations that took place during the 2019 Winona Mini-Session, notably the hearing that was held at Minnesota State College Southeast,” said Rep. Pelowski, chair of the House Industrial Education and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee. “By investing in this program, we’re training knowledgeable teachers that can go on to promote well-rounded students, ensuring that high schoolers have the option of graduating not only with a traditional high school diploma, but with an employable skill as well.”
$400,000 will be allocated for the new programs at Winona State University and Minnesota State College Southeast. A hearing during the October 2019 Winona Mini-Session proposed legislation for Winona State University’s Education Village, which would partner with Minnesota State College Southeast in recreating the licensure and certification program needed for the next generation of industrial technical teachers for Minnesota’s high schools.
Other proposals in the budget include a $70 million investment in grants to small businesses harmed by COVID-19 – up to $25,000 – with the smallest businesses prioritized. To help address the child care gap across the state, House DFLers were also successful in securing a historic $8 million investment to expand access to affordable child care. The budget also invests $70 million of federal funding over the next two years in broadband infrastructure to help more homes, businesses, and schools have access to reliable internet.
A spreadsheet of the investments contained within the legislation can be accessed here. Video of the House Floor session will be available on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.