SF 4253

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 09/07/2022 11:09am

A bill for an act
relating to economic development; requiring a report; appropriating money to
make workforce training and entrepreneurship investments intended to help close
the state's opportunity gaps for Minnesotans of color.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS.
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new text begin The appropriations in this act are in fiscal year 2023 from the general fund to the
commissioner of employment and economic development for the purposes specified in this
act. The appropriations are onetime, and are in addition to amounts appropriated in Laws
2021, First Special Session chapter 10.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
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new text begin (a) $500,000 is for a grant to the White Earth
Nation for the White Earth Nation Integrated
Business Development System to provide
business assistance with workforce
development, outreach, technical assistance,
infrastructure and operational support,
financing, and other business development
activities. This is a onetime appropriation.
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new text begin (b) $600,000 is for a grant to Youthprise to
give grants through a competitive process to
community organizations to provide economic
development services designed to enhance
long-term economic self-sufficiency in
communities with concentrated East African
populations. Such communities include but
are not limited to Faribault, Rochester, St.
Cloud, Moorhead, and Willmar. To the extent
possible, Youthprise must make at least 50
percent of these grants to organizations serving
communities located outside the seven-county
metropolitan area, as defined in Minnesota
Statutes, section 473.121, subdivision 2. This
is a onetime appropriation and is available
until June 30, 2024.
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new text begin (c) $700,000 is for a grant to YWCA St. Paul
to provide job training services and workforce
development programs and services, including
job skills training and counseling. This is a
onetime appropriation.
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new text begin (d) $1,500,000 is for a grant to the
Minneapolis Foundation for a strategic
intervention program designed to target and
connect program participants to meaningful,
sustainable living-wage employment. This is
a onetime appropriation.
new text end

new text begin (e) $100,000 is for a grant to Latino
Communities United in Service (CLUES) to
expand culturally tailored programs that
address employment and education skill gaps
for working parents and underserved youth by
providing new job skills training to stimulate
higher wages for low-income people, family
support systems designed to reduce
intergenerational poverty, and youth
programming to promote educational
advancement and career pathways. At least
50 percent of this amount must be used for
programming targeted at greater Minnesota.
This is a onetime appropriation.
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new text begin (f) $1,200,000 is for a grant to Ujamaa Place
for job training, employment preparation,
internships, education, training in the
construction trades, housing, and
organizational capacity building. This is a
onetime appropriation.
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new text begin (g) $400,000 is for a grant to the Hmong
American Partnership, in collaboration with
community partners, for services targeting
Minnesota communities with the highest
concentrations of Southeast Asian joblessness,
based on the most recent census tract data, to
provide employment readiness training,
credentialed training placement, job placement
and retention services, supportive services for
hard-to-employ individuals, and a general
education development fast track and adult
diploma program. This is a onetime
appropriation.
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new text begin (h) $1,250,000 is for performance grants under
Minnesota Statutes, section 116J.8747, to
Latino Economic Development Center
(LEDC) to provide training to hard-to-train
individuals and programs that include
technical assistance to Latino entrepreneurs
and farmers, workforce development, and
business lending. This is a onetime
appropriation.
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new text begin (i) $300,000 is for a grant to the Center for
Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT) for youth
development and job creation. This is a
onetime appropriation.
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new text begin (j) $1,250,000 is for a grant to Juxtaposition
Arts for a workforce development program
for youth and young adults 14 to 21 years of
age that are employed in year-round
apprenticeships in art and design and are
trained and mentored by adult practicing
artists, designers, and architects at
revenue-earning production studios or
JXTALabs. This is a onetime appropriation.
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new text begin (k) $2,500,000 is for the creation of additional
multiemployer, sector-based career
connections pathways. $2,200,000 of this
amount is for a grant to Hennepin County to
establish pathways using the Hennepin Career
Connections framework. $300,000 of this
amount is for a grant to Hennepin County to
establish a pilot program based on the career
connections pathways framework outside the
seven-county metropolitan area, in
collaboration with another local unit of
government.
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new text begin (l) $320,000 is for the capacity-building grant
program to assist nonprofit organizations
offering or seeking to offer workforce
development and economic development
programming.
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new text begin (m) $1,500,000 is for a grant to Mind the
G.A.P.P. (Gaining Assistance to Prosperity
Program) to improve the quality of life of
unemployed and underemployed individuals
by improving their employment outcome and
developing individual earnings potential.
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new text begin (n) $15,200,000 is for a nationwide Minnesota
Strong campaign. The campaign must focus
on attracting new workers to the state,
encouraging recent graduates to remain in the
state after graduating, attracting and retaining
new small businesses and growing businesses,
attracting and promoting workers from
communities of color to the state, and
attracting and retaining entrepreneurs. The
commissioner of employment and economic
development shall contract with an
organization with experience leading brand
management campaigns. Deliverables must
include but not be limited to focus groups,
content creation, video production,
advertisements, and social media. By January
15, 2025, the commissioner shall report to the
chairs and ranking minority members of the
legislative committees with jurisdiction over
economic development on the results of the
campaign.
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new text begin (o) $15,000,000 is for a grant to Northside
Economic Opportunity Network to create
revolving loan funds to provide additional
minority-owned businesses with access to
capital and operating support activities related
to business development and assistance
services for minority business enterprises.
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new text begin (p) $1,000,000 is for a grant to the Catalyst
Coalition to provide workforce development
services.
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new text begin (q) $3,500,000 is for grants to Career
Solutions, Central Minnesota Community
Empowerment Organization, Hands Across
the World, and the Higher Collaborative to
address workforce shortages in central
Minnesota by developing workforce initiatives
to address high employment in the Black,
Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)
community.
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new text begin (r) $960,000 is for a grant to Central
Minnesota Workforce Development Collective
Impact Partners to provide driver education,
financial literacy training, and job placement
and retention services.
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new text begin (s) $248,000 is for grants to Promise
Neighborhood and Too Much Talent to
provide leadership development, trainings,
programs, workshops, and support to improve
access to jobs, internships, and economic
opportunities.
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new text begin (t) $5,000,000 is for a grant to the Business
Resource Collective to provide workforce
development services.
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new text begin (u) $2,500,000 is for a grant to The Stairstep
and His Works United, on behalf of 21 Days
of Peace, to collaborate with law enforcement
to address areas of violence. Program
participants must develop individual education
and career plans as they work with members
of the community to identify and address
education, mental health services, job training,
and workshops for life improvement as a
public safety strategy.
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