The Minnesota Legislature conference committee on jobs policy, co-chaired by Chair Champion and Chair Baker, adopted a package of policy provisions during a May 18, 2025 meeting, approving changes to startup grants, training grants, construction-fee language and other job-related sections and directing staff to make technical edits.

The decision affects several workforce programs and appropriations: the CAN train grants will be limited to organizations rather than individuals, a proposed reduction of the CAN startup private match from 50 percent to 25 percent was removed so the 50 percent match remains, and several Department of Labor and Industry fee increases in the package were adopted while manufactured-home technical language was left for further review.

Committee members said the package was assembled from a staff memo titled "jobs policy sections for potential adoption, 05/18/2025," and that nonpartisan staff from both chambers had prepared the draft language. Chair Champion opened the meeting and set the process: staff would go line-by-line, confirm informal agreement, then the chairs would move a formal adoption if there were no objections.

On the CAN startup grants (r67), committee members agreed to keep the existing private-match requirement at 50 percent rather than accepting the senate proposal to drop it to 25 percent. Chair Baker summarized the agreement to adopt the senate language except for the match change: "So line 89.14 would read $200,000 if state contributions are matched by an equal or greater amount of a new private investment," and members said they would omit the 25 percent change.

The committee also approved amendment A26 at the request of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, which removes language making individuals eligible for CAN train grants and restricts grants to organizations only. Chair Champion said the amendment "strikes the language grants to individuals in order to make it consistent with the fact that these grants will only be given to organizations." Members indicated they were comfortable with that change.

On appropriations wording, the committee agreed to redirect $400,000 previously appropriated for certain Somali festivals so the funds would go to the Minnesota Humanities Center, with staff directed to make the necessary technical changes to match the description in the draft.

Labor provisions in the package (r85 and r88) that adjust Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) fees were accepted by the committee, but members noted that manufactured- or modular-home fee and technical language remain under separate discussion. Nicole Lisonbee, commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry, told the committee: "I am happy to report that we have reached an agreement on all of the language related to the manufactured homes including the technical language," but chairs said they wanted members and stakeholders to have additional time to review the final draft before fully incorporating it.

The package also included adoption of senate language on community labor force participation measures (r72) and language affecting online hospitality-program outcome reporting (r63), where the committee agreed to the senate approach while noting some reporting details may need further exploration.

After the line-by-line review and informal agreement on outstanding items, Chair Baker made a formal motion "to adopt the presentation as presented here with the policy changes." The committee approved the motion by voice vote; no members voiced opposition, and the chairs directed staff to make technical edits consistent with the committee discussion.

Committee chairs said they planned to recess after the meeting and would notify members if they needed to reconvene; the committee stood in recess at the conclusion of the session.

Votes at a glance
- Motion to adopt the jobs-policy package (as discussed, with the 50% private-match retained for CAN startup grants, A26 limiting CAN train grants to organizations, and other listed changes): motion moved by Chair Baker; approved by voice vote with no opposition reported.

Sources and immediate context
All reporting is drawn from the conference committee's session on May 18, 2025, during which staff-provided draft language and multiple amendments (including A26 and A27) were discussed and adopted or held for further review. The committee relied on nonpartisan staff to incorporate agreed technical changes.