1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to workforce development; appropriating money for a grant to Southeast 
1.3 	Minnesota Workforce Development Area; requiring a report.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. APPROPRIATIONS.
 1.6 	(a) $275,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $275,000 in fiscal year 2027 are appropriated from 
1.7 	the workforce development fund to the commissioner of employment and economic 
1.8 	development for a grant to Workforce Development, Inc., of the Southeast Minnesota 
1.9 	Workforce Development Area #8, to provide career planning, career pathway training and 
1.10 	education, wraparound support services, and job skills advancement in high-demand careers 
1.11 	to individuals with barriers to employment in Steele County, helping families build secure 
1.12 	pathways out of poverty and addressing worker shortages in the Owatonna and Steele County 
1.13 	area. Grant proceeds must support employer outreach services by providing solutions to 
1.14 	workforce challenges and direct connections to workforce programming. Grant proceeds 
1.15 	may be used for program expenses, including but not limited to hiring instructors and 
1.16 	navigators; space rental; and supportive services to help participants attend classes, including 
1.17 	assistance with course fees, child care, incentive and training completion payments, 
1.18 	transportation, and safe and stable housing. Up to five percent of grant money may be used 
1.19 	for Workforce Development, Inc.'s administrative costs. This is a onetime appropriation 
1.20 	and is available until June 30, 2027. Any unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 
1.21 	the first year does not cancel but is available for the second year.
1.22 	(b) By January 15 each year, the commissioner of employment and economic 
1.23 	development must report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative 
2.1 	committees with jurisdiction over economic development and workforce development 
2.2 	regarding the uses of the grant in paragraph (a), including any amounts used for 
2.3 	administration of the grant. The report must also be filed with the Legislative Reference 
2.4 	Library in compliance with Minnesota Statutes, section 3.195. As a condition of receiving 
2.5 	the grant, Workforce Development, Inc., of the Southeast Minnesota Workforce Development 
2.6 	Area #8, must agree to provide the commissioner any information needed to complete the 
2.7 	report.